The I Am / I Should Future Self Exercise
Define who you'll be in five years, then schedule the daily proof.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 3
- Confidence
- 80%
This exercise operationalizes Benjamin Hardy's future-self thinking. You draw two columns: I am and I should. Under I am, imagine yourself in five years and write who you want to be across every life role, not just work: a loving dad, a talented painter, an accomplished skier. Under I should, list the daily, weekly, and monthly actions that would make you that person now. Then you take those shoulds as homework and schedule them into your tracker and calendar, because becoming your future self happens by intention, not accident. The deeper point is separating your identity from your business so you're well-rounded and resilient.
Origin
Taha built this two-column exercise from what Benjamin Hardy taught her about never being your past self and intentionally growing into your future self, and made it the centerpiece pen-and-paper activity of her webinar.
Core principles
- 01You are never your past self and are always growing into your future self.
- 02Your future self should be defined across life roles, not just work.
- 03Separating identity from your business protects you when the business struggles.
- 04Becoming your future self happens by intention, not by accident.
How to run it
- 1
Write the I am column
Imagine yourself in five years and write the adjectives and personas you want to embody, spanning work and personal life.
Pro tip Include relationships, health, and hobbies, not just career roles.
- 2
Write the I should column
For each I am, list the daily, weekly, and monthly actions you should be doing now to become that person.
- 3
Schedule the shoulds
Take the I should items as homework and place them into your weekly, daily, and monthly tracker and calendar.
Watch out Without scheduling, the vision stays aspirational and never materializes.
In the wild
Taha models writing I am a loving dad, then I should drive my son to school every day and spend 30 minutes on homework with him, then scheduling those into the calendar.
→ An abstract identity becomes concrete, recurring, scheduled behavior.
Common mistakes
Defining yourself only through work
Making your entire future identity about entrepreneurship means any business setback becomes an identity crisis.
Stopping at the vision
Writing who you want to be without scheduling the shoulds leaves the future self as a fantasy.
Is it for you?
Best for
Entrepreneurs who over-identify with their business and want a well-rounded future identity.
Not ideal for
Those who need immediate tactical output rather than long-horizon identity work.
From the transcript
“this is called the I am I should future you exercise”
“it doesn't happen by accident it happens by intention”
From the episode
Hala Taha: Skyrocket Your Sales with My Proven Webinar Blueprint
Hala Taha