A Letter from My Future Self

One of the exercises from the Week 7 WOL Circle Guide is to write a letter from your future self as as way of “picturing your life the way you would like it to be”.  I spent some time over the weekend thinking about my letter and I published the first draft on our internal ESN for my circle group to review.  I also decided to share it here as well.

I know I will want to go back and refine it but found that just taking the time to sit down and think about what I want my future to look like was a wonderful exercise.  Thinking about what I would like my life to look like  and envisioning what that would feel like was incredibly energizing!  It was indeed a very emotional experience.

I invited my circle to share their letters prior to our meeting but made that optional.  I’m really looking forward to our discussion when our circle meets to hear what they thought about the exercise.

My Dreams/Goals:

I want to inspire people to achieve more than they thought possible.  I want to lead a high performing team by creating an environment where we leverage everyone’s strengths and passions to their fullest.

I want to find a way to fully harness the collective wisdom and experiences or a community to bring about positive change.

I will have developed expertise in continuous improvement and be able to coach others to continually optimize their processes to maximize quality, value, and efficiency.

I will have the autonomy to choose projects I find most meaningful.

I will contribute in a meaningful way to community service projects focused on education or helping people achieve career goals.

I will have work-life balance so that I can spend time with family and friends as well as focusing on my own health and well-being.

Articulating My Vision:

I will be able to inspire people and build communities.

How Will I Know?:

I will be sought out as a coach/mentor and have established a reputation as someone who can build and lead exceptional teams that deliver high quality projects.

How will it feel if I don’t try and how will it feel if I DO try?:

If I don’t try, I will continue to feel as though my best talents are going to waste.  I will be frustrated by feeling I have hit the ceiling and have nowhere left to go and grow.  My motivation to continue to go above and beyond will diminish over time.  My creativity will begin to fade and I will devolve into doing what is asked of me but little incentive to do more.  My enjoyment and passion for what I do will decrease and it will be increasingly difficult to want to come to work every day.

If I do pursue my vision now, I will feel that I am continually growing, developing new skills, and deepening my expertise.  I will have strong passion and drive for what I am doing.  I will continue to deepen my mastery and apply my skills in new and creative ways to exceed expectations for the projects I deliver.  I will have fun both at work and in my personal life.  I will look forward to each new day.  I will feel that I am an asset to those who know me both personally and professionally.