No, I don't have a time machine.
I came across this terminology in one of the workshops that my company have organised a few years ago, and it had really left a very deep impression on me. Back then, I was amazed by the concepts of writing a letter to yourself, from your imagined future.
Unfortunately I ended up forgetting to write it as I was too busy chasing deadlines and ended up forgetting about MYSELF. So here I am, trying to bridge the gap.
The concept is really simple - just write a letter dated in the future, and think about what your future self would tell your present self today.
Why write a letter from your future self to your present self? Well for one, it forces you to really navigate through the deepest of your thoughts, barring all the fears or constraints or limitations you have placed yourself today.
All things are created twice.
First, mental conceptualisation & visualisation.
Then, the physical construction.
Stephen R. Covey
Through this technique, I am indirectly manifesting the concepts and visualise it in my head and perhaps then I will be working towards it subconsciously.
I'm curious how I'd feel when I read this letter 10 years down the road, that's if the blog still exists by then.
23 August 2031
Dear Gracie,
I am YOU, except from the future. Hope you are not too shocked from receiving this letter. If I recall correctly, you're still in battles with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.
It is now the year of 2031 for me. I can't believe that more than 10 years have passed since you have then decided to get your shits together back in 2019. Remember the seed idea of achieving financial independence that you have planted? It has really taken off well, and I have now amassed way more than what we initially planned to, enjoying the fruits of our hard work!
Everything indeed seemed impossible when we first started. I guess sometimes you just have to go with the flow, and have a little more faith in yourself, eh? You deserve to love yourself more, have more faith in who you are and embrace your true self. Who cares what others think? You've already came so far anyway.
Think about hundreds or thousands of people still being inaction towards accepting their true selves. Why did you ended up taking 5 steps forward, achieving what most people believed to be impossible; but then took another 10 steps backward and back into hiding after all your efforts and hard works?
Those who really care or love you will never judge you. Those that judge or hurt you - why do you want to even care about them? Leave them be, and just be yourself comfortably in your own skins. I'm now married to my husband, whom loved me wholeheartedly for who I am, regardless of who I was in the past. You'll just know it when you finally meet him. Ahh... The butterflies in my stomach, I can still remember it. It felt exactly like when you met our first love more than 18 years ago. Remember THAT feeling!
I really can't wait to see you meet him in your life. His presence has really changed me and opened up my heart to love myself more, being in NOW AND HERE, and also loving each other. It helps also that we ended up having a couple of shared goals, including financial or migration plans. It's so much easier to plan and do things together, rather than taking everything on my own shoulders.
Ohhh, speaking of which, you know about "that thing" that we've always been worrying about? Turns out that in the end, you just need to find a legal way to workaround it. No need to get too hung up on that. We're now parents to our lovely child (legally adopted) - something that I once believed to be impossible given our infertility genetic defects. Can't believe that I've obsessed over it for a few years and having created my own source of unhappiness. Thanks to the efforts you put in over the years, all these are now nothing but a past.
Unfortunately, that also means that you'll have to save more money to tackle these issues as they surface. Yes, it's unfair but you'll just have to suck it up. Life's never really fair anyway - at least this is something solvable with money and we just need the "outcome" right? 😉
I am happy to also tell you that, after some serious and long considerations, I have decided to quit our then high paying job, as it was really taking a toll on my mental health (despite the good pay). Little did I know that was the next best thing that could've happened to me.
After quitting the job, I ended up spending more time to think about what I really wanted, and started executing the plan to actually migrate out of Malaysia rather than just talking about it. Doing all these whilst running a side business in parallel is really crazy, and until today I didn't know how I've had coped with it. That was really one of the hardest moments in my life, but definitely nothing like the 2016 crisis that almost destroyed us inside out.
Having him around me definitely helped - as he have supported me throughout the ups and downs of the journey. I guess the pressure to put rice in my stomach have also fuelled the motivation to drive further, faster.
What business did I start? I'll let YOU figure it out yourself - a hint: you already knew the answer deep inside, even if you are brushing it off today. Something that you truly enjoy doing, and time just flies when you actually spend time doing it.
You're definitely on the right track - write more, love yourself more, and one day the door will just open itself and when you realise - you'll definitely get the sensation of "what took me so long?!?".
Well at least I did.
I'll see you in a decades time... Oh wait, a decade later it'd be 2041 for me and 2031 for you. Can we ever meet in our lifetime?!?
Until then, take care and stay safe! Remember to love yourself more!! *hugs*
p/s try to stay in touch with those that cares about you. I know how introverted you are, but make small gestures! They'd appreciate it knowing that you're still well and alive. And who knows - you might end up inspiring more of your friends on the FI movement unknowingly - that have always been your strength.
With Loves,
Gracie from 2031.
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