A Letter to My Future Self
Before you read this letter, I want you to know that my every-Tuesday blog posts will now be every-other-Tuesday emails.
I'm posting less on the blog because I'm gearing up to finish (and start, really) writing my 4th book this year. Hooray! And I needed to free up some space to make that happen.
This book is so important to me. Thank you for understanding.
If you aren't already, sign up for my emails to stay updated on the progress of the book. You'll also get my Healing Brave Manifesto for free. Also also, I give away free stuff with almost every email. :)
Now, the newness of another year and another passion inspired me to write a letter to my future self. About all the things I hope for that person: healing, fulfillment, and self-companionship.
I think it's a wonderful way to start a new year, don't you think?
It was an enlightening practice for me because it shed light on what matters most right now. It helped me get clear on my desires and the bigger picture of what I want for my life.
Once you can see that larger picture, you can start to explore all the habits, resources, rituals, skills, and people that will bring you closer to everything you hope for your future self.
It is a blessing on your future self. It’s also an intention, a pledge to meet that person at least halfway, instead of waiting for your life to change on its own.
May this practice and this letter inspire your relationship with your future -- whether it's the end of 2022 you're looking at, or beyond.
A Letter to My Future Self
I hope you found what you’ve been looking for, on the inside if not in every way.
I hope you know what happiness means to you. I hope you have known the purest love as a flowing give and take, a living, breathing thing.
I hope you can look back on all this time and sigh, and say, “But my heart is not weary, it’s light and it’s free.” (Bob Dylan said that.)
I hope you found courage where you thought you had none. Hope, too – that things can be different, even better than you thought you deserved.
I hope you know that you belong here, and that you treat everyone else like they belong here, too.
I hope you can look inside your heart and face your past, your mistakes, your losses and everything that’s brought you to your knees, and stand taller than ever.
I hope you’ve felt the kindness of a stranger. I hope you’ve smiled in a room all by yourself. I hope you’ve learned another thing or two about the power of forgiveness.
I hope you found strength in movement, peace in your own company, and purpose encircling your most conscious decisions.
I hope you know by now that you’re enough and more, no matter what you did or didn’t achieve. I hope you’ve come to know yourself as a friend, once and for always.
I hope you can see more clearly than I all the ways a person can live with integrity. I hope you elect your own kind of success, one that's inclusive of your wholeness and rooted in joy.
As you’re reading this, I wonder: Who do you care for? What are you proud of? What love have you done?
How is your heart?
Do you still believe in the place where joy grows like wildflowers?
What warmth have you been surprised to feel? What beauty have you been glad to find?
Beyond everything, I hope you know just how important you are. How the thought of you glad is like sunlight to me. Until we come together, it's you who has kept me going when I felt like letting go.
Thank you.
You belong in the light, too.
. . .
Tell me:
What do you want to tell your future self? What do you hope for that person?
What intention are you ready to set for yourself now to help you stay focused on what matters most to you?
Tell me in the comments. Everything you share here means more than you know.
With warmth & friendship,
Jen
Comments on this post (7)
Thank you for writing this so I can read it. I just turned 45 years old and I am feeling a bit worn down by my healing journey. I had a hard week. I was feeling like I didn’t know how or why to keep going. I needed to read this today. It’s as if I could have wrote it to myself and I needed to hear the hope contained in it’s message.
— Sarah
Dear FutureMe,
-15 year old rashI’m not really the best right now, and I’m hoping for a change, tomorrow you’ll be leaving Vietnam and this is ur last time here, so all the luxury apartments and everything u felt will be over from here, but that doesn’t mean it should, I’m still pretty young and I know I can myself come here once again if I try harder but independently of course. I hope I actually do put in effort and I’m not just bluffing like usual, at the moment ur very bad in maths and I hope I don’t mess up, so I have to start by actually learning now, I have developed to not give a shit about anything and I feel like it should stop here, I’m having my o/L in 2025 and I’m scared asf, I really don’t have time, I should start putting effort cuz it’s now or never, all I wanted to tell u was that I hope ur somewhere I want myself to be and if ur not it’s fine at least make sure ur having a stable life, all that matter is ur enjoying life right? Either way I’ll keep u updated
— Rashmi <3
Dear Jennifer
We really liked your post “A letter to my future me” you published in January and we might have a project that could be interesting for you. Our “betting on the future” project offers the opportunity for people to write a message to their future self (quick, easy and for free). Taking the letter concept on a digital level, they can write a personalized message and select a date to receive it in the future. We are introducing this project to you because we believe that you and your followers might consider it a valuable gadget on their journey of healing, fulfillment, and self-companionship.
Where is this coming from? We are all probono, a non-profit tech organization dedicated to supporting the funding of medical research. Our donation platform is finally online, which gives our tech-experts the capacity to get creative and invent little “mini-projects” in favor of our mission.
We are always looking forward to any kind of question regarding our projects. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy our mini-project “betting on the future” and good luck with your 4th book.
—
Best regards,
Pia
Marketing specialist all probono
https://allprobono.org
— Pia Brogle
Great article, very informative, thanks for writing. :)
I really like the idea of sending letters to my future self through a web app called Futureme (https://www.futureme.org). This is a nice way to send a letter every year to your birthday. It’s easy and fun at the same time!
— Lucas
Emily, I’m so glad you did, too! Thank you for supporting what I love to do – so glad you enjoy the book! :)
— Jennifer Healey
What a beautiful letter. It spoke to my heart. It gave me such hope and lightness. It’s everything I needed to hear! Thank you so much. So glad I found your site. I picked up your sleep affirmations book at TH Maxx. Read my first affirmation and had to know more about the author. So glad I did! I look forward to adding more of your books in the future.
— Emily
Jen,
Have a wonderful New Year. Thank you for everything.
— Jim