Learning how to write a letter to yourself in the future is such a fun and reflective thing to do with the start of the new year coming soon! Find out exactly why you need to be doing this every year and exactly what you need to include in your letter!
Writing a letter to yourself in the future is one of the best things you can do when you just need to take a minute and reflect on your life. Whether you are thinking about the past or the future, these letters are the perfect thing to help you do just that.
I love writing letters to myself whenever a big event happens in my life. Whether it’s when I started my freshman year of college or when the new year comes around, I always have a letter for every occasion.
Plus, it is super fun to be able to read the letters back and relive everything that happened in your life!
This post is all about how to write a letter to yourself!
Why you should write a letter to yourself
looking back
One of the best parts about writing a letter to yourself is being able to look back at what you life was like when it was written. It’s so much fun learning about everything that was happening months or years back!
self reflection
Writing this letter can be a really helpful moment of self reflection. Whether it be reflecting on your past or thinking more about the future, putting your thoughts into words can make a huge difference.
moving on from the past
Likewise, writing a letter to your future self can be so helpful to let go of the past and move onto the future. Especially if you are going through big changes in your life (going to college, starting a new job, etc), moving on from the past can help prepare yourself better for everything that is coming next.
How you should write a letter to yourself
paper or digital
The first thing you have to do when learning how to write a letter to yourself is deciding if you want a paper or digital letter.
For a paper letter, all you will need is paper, pen/pencil, and an envelope to store your letter. If you want to go digital, there are websites specifically for that purpose.
The best one to try is called futureme.org. Here, you are able to write out your letter and choose when you want it sent back to you. Then, you’ll get an email in the specified amount of time in the future with everything you wrote!
set the mood for writing
Once you pick how you are writing your letter, the next step is to set the mood for writing. Depending on what you like, you can either write it in a quiet place, a coffee shop, or wherever you feel the most comfortable.
You can also put on your favorite music, light a candle, grab a coffee, or do whatever will help you write best!
share your current situation
Now that everything else is ready, it’s time to get writing. The first part of your letter should go through your situation and life currently. What are you wearing? Where are you? Who are your friends? What fills your time?
Basically, go through and just write about what life is like in the moment you are writing. You can include anything and everything here, as much or as little as you want.
share your future goals
Once you’ve got your current life written down, it’s time to move onto the future. This is where you want to write all about the goals you have for yourself in the future.
These can be anything from health goals, professional goals, social goals, or anything else you are looking to change in your life. You can get as detailed or vague as you want here, it’s all up to you!
At the very least, just write about where you want to be whenever you read this letter back. Not only does it set yourself up really well in the present to have goals you are trying to reach, but it’s also super fun to read back in the future to track how you’ve done.
Throughout these two parts of the letter, the goal is to reflect on your past, understand the present, and plan for the future.
ask yourself questions
Throughout the entire letter, continue to ask yourself questions about what your life is like now and where you are looking for it to go. Guiding questions for yourself make it a lot easier to get the words flowing.
What next
choose a specified date to open
Once your letter is all written, it’s time to pick when you want it to be opened. You can do this before or after writing the letter.
If you wrote the letter on paper, seal it in an envelope and write the date it should be opened on the outside. I like to write something along the lines of “Open this letter on __*date*__ by __*your name*__.”
If you wrote the letter digitally, just pick your date and put it into the website.
store it in a safe place
For paper letters, the last step is to pick a spot to store your letter. Some good spots are the top shelf of your closet, the back of a desk drawer, or anywhere else that’ll keep it decently hidden.
Then, all you need to do is open it back up at whatever date you chose. If you think you might forget about it, you can also put a reminder in a calendar on your phone.
This post was all about how to write a letter to yourself!
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