Future Authoring

If you could live the life you most deeply wanted, what would it look like? This is a question worth writing about in detail, because it turns out that you can live the life you most deeply want. It is possible that the current situations you find yourself in were once a distant vision or dream. Yet they feel mundane and unsatisfactory in the moment, probably.

First, mindset effects are real, as research from Dr. Crum at Stanford and others have been demonstrating with increasing clarity over the past few years. What you believe shapes your decisions and your actions, which directly impact your present and future. Believing in this truth is a mindset effect itself.

Second, hedonic adaptation is also a well-established phenomenon within humans. We seek a certain situation or possessions, and soon after we reach it, it becomes mundane; we adapt to the new reality very quickly, dissatisfaction and desire re-arise, and we continue the "hedonic cycle."

Lastly, humans are a highly story-driven species. We think in stories. We create narratives about our past, present, and future. We define our identities based on certain stories we tell ourselves, true or only existing in imagination they be. Your stories are directly influenced by your individual personality traits, learned principles, beliefs, behaviors, and societal impact all around you.

Importantly, if you believe in the evidence of mindset effects, you know you have the agency to craft your own narratives and directly impact your present and future.

A very interesting and practical tool to write about your stories and define your vision is the Future Authoring program (no affiliation).

This is one of the most practical and comprehensive writing exercises to crystallize your vision that I know. I have done it multiple times since I was 21 years old and I found it incredibly valuable. It is an in-depth writing exercise with thought-provoking questions about your present and future. If you wish to also analyze your past (which can be helpful for clearing out anything left lingering in the (un)conscious unattended), you may do the full authoring suite.

If unsure, I would start with the future authoring program. It will take a few hours, possibly split across multiple days depending on your preference and available energy. So far, I did the future authoring program during the Christmas holidays period and it has been a milestone I’ve looked forward to every time I decide to do it (approximately every 2–3 years).