Sending letters to the future

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Have you ever tried writing letters to the future version of yourself?

I’m big on writing letters to different versions of myself.

When I want to start something new, I write a letter to the future version that might probably feel like giving up. I’d tell her why we started in the first place, how setbacks are natural, and why she needs to keep going.

In cases where I unlearn/overcome something, I’d write a letter to the past.

Then on days I need to clear my head, I write letters to the present me. Unloading everything on the page so it’s easier to navigate.

My absolute favourite is writing letters to the future.

So discovering https://www.futureme.org/letters/new was a blessing.

This website lets you write letters and send them into the future — for as short as 7 days and as long as 10 years.

At the start of this year, I wrote a letter to myself and sent it off a year into the future. Today, I’m sharing parts of it here with you for a little inspiration.

Dear Sadiya,

It’s the first of January 2023.

I’m writing to you now in bed with my pillow propped up.

The way I picture you a year from now, you’re…

Remember the goals I’ve set for you.

By this time next year, you’re meant to have…

So how close are you to any of this?

Have you reached the mark? Have you surpassed it?

No matter what, I want to know you’ve tried. That’s my measure for you. The effort. The habits. The compounding.

Give yourself grace. Don’t be too hard on yourself. At least you’ve tried. So continue trying.

And Alhamdulillah, you’ve made it to another year. With more lessons, growth and wisdom.

I’m proud of you. Of who you are now and the person you’re becoming.

I want to know everything. I want to know how many times you’ve fallen, but more importantly, how many times you’ve picked yourself up.

 I want to know your wins and your lessons (not losses, they’re lessons).

I want to hear about your highs and your lows. The peaks and the valleys. The waves, rock bottom and everything in between.

Tell me how the journey was for you. How you reverse engineered a picture you had in your head. How you got to here, to now.

And I know life happens. So tell me all about that too.

And tell me your current goals. Tell me if you’ve added or removed some things along the way. And why.

Tell me all you’ve discovered about yourself. Everything you uncovered.

Document it all.

Then last of all, as you read this InshaAllah. I want you to look a year from now. How do you see yourself?

Burn that picture in your memory, sit down and reverse engineer it with all your new knowledge, insights, and growth.

As always, I’m proud of you. Of you constantly trying to improve yourself. Remember, that picture is a better version of yourself. Not a copy version of someone else.

I want you to always strive to be better than you were yesterday. Better than you, not anyone else.

Become the best version of yourself that you can possibly be, before you go. That’s the goal. Never lose sight of that.

I love you. The flaws, the scars, the little child, the struggling adult, and everything else you are. I pray you love you too, because that’s where all battles are fought and won.

So live, love. Try. Make mistakes. Cry. Learn. And go again. For as long as there’s breath in you, go again.

I’m here rooting for all the future versions of you. I pray 2023 was a great year for you. I pray you’ve written a lot, for yourself and for the public.

This is me sending in hugs to the future you.

I’d love to know what the journey was like for you.

Hopes, prayers, and hugs.

Sadiya.

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Time flies and unless we sit down and reflect, we’ll miss a lot of things to be grateful for. And of course, a lot of areas we could improve on.

Feels like yesterday when I wrote this letter, and here we are. Alhamdulillah some things have been ticked, other plans changed, and some we carry over to next year.

However, even without thinking so much, I know I’m not in the same place I was last December. Neither are you. And that is something to be grateful for.

Document your life. With pictures, videos, audio, and words. Whatever works for you.

If you’d like to give this a try, head on over to the website. Write your letter, set your date and get pleasantly surprised once it arrives.

May the new year bring with it more fulfilment and growth for us all.

Thank you for sticking with me, I appreciate you truly.

Until next week, InshaAllah.