A Day in Your Life in Five Years – How Does It Look?

How’s your energy during the weeks leading up to New Year’s Eve? I observe different types of behavior.

Some of us are pushing through to achieve our goals of the year, taking on last-minute personal challenges, or tying up loose ends on important projects at work.

On the other hand, some of us shift down a gear, using our calm minds to reflect on the past months and envision how the upcoming year should unfold.

Regardless of how you describe your end-of-the-year mode, I'd like to invite you to engage in one of my favorite thought experiments. Take a moment to time-travel in your mind. Imagine that you could beam yourself five years into the future and experience a typical day in your life.

Now, don't imagine yourself on the day you finally achieve one of your life goals or on your most memorable vacation day at the beach or in the mountains. Instead, imagine a future ordinary, perhaps even mundane, weekday.

A day in my life in five years – how does it look?

Ask yourself: where do I wake up? What do I see when opening my eyes? Who’s with me? What do I do first? What do I wear? What’s on my to-do list? What do I sense? Who am I meeting during the day? What will we be talking about? How do I spend my day? Where am I going? What do I hear? How do I feel throughout the day? What brings a smile to my face that day? What am I having for dinner? When do I go to bed? How do I feel while falling asleep?

Close your eyes and let the day unfold in your mind. Stay in that moment for a little while. After you've experienced going to sleep on your imaginary future day, open your eyes and take a moment to write down what comes to mind. How do you feel now?