When I was 40, I wrote a letter to myself to read when I was 50. I do this as part of my old diary project that I've been writing since about 2007.
It's a weird exercise for a weirdo, but fascinating. I wrote about where I thought I was in my life at 40 and where I would like to be in my life at 50, what I would like to have, what I'd like to be able to do, who I would like to have in my life, etc etc.
It was an astonishing read 3 years ago, and no less astonishing when I went back to it the other day, as I do, sometimes when I'm feeling philosophical.
After what happened after my 50th birthday, when I became unwell, I was slow and lax and didn't write the letter to myself when I was 60. I think I'm in the process of formulating that in my mind, even though it's 6.5 years away.
These projects are interesting, though, and I think really worthwhile for almost anyone because we have a very short view of history and a very short view of progress.
Careers, relationships, parenting, businesses, health, life, love, and all sorts of stuff like this are counted in many years, not days or minutes. It's nothing to do with likes on your phone, or even credit that you might get for something you've achieved on a day-to-day basis; it's what you build over time. It's a ‘life spent well’, what that might mean to you and generally it's measured in decades.
Try explaining that to someone who's 15 or 20. Much easier to explain to someone who's lived decades and understands how long it took.
Clever though for some of the younger guys to listen. I know a few who did, and even 3 or 4 years into their project, they begin to understand.
Blog Post Number - 4257