How to Reverse Engineer Your Future Self: A Step-by-Step Guide to Achieving Your Goals and Living Your Best Life
Reverse engineering your future self involves identifying the attributes, skills, and achievements you want to have in 5-10 years and then working to close the gaps between your current state and your ideal future self.
CAREER SUCCESS
Lee Jones
9/3/20243 min read
As she sat in her small apartment, staring blankly at the walls, Candace couldn't help but feel lost. She was 25 years old, and yet she had no idea who she was or what she wanted out of life. She felt like she was just going through the motions, day in and day out, without any sense of purpose or direction.
Candace had always been a bit of a people-pleaser, always trying to make others happy and never really taking the time to think about what she wanted. She had always been drawn to the idea of being a successful businesswoman, but she had never really taken the time to figure out what that meant to her.
As she sat there, feeling stuck and unsure of what to do, Candace had an idea. She would reverse engineer her future self. She would imagine what she wanted her life to be like in 5-10 years, and then work backwards to figure out what she needed to do to get there.
Candace took a deep breath and closed her eyes, letting her mind wander to the future. She imagined herself as a successful businesswoman, with a thriving company and a happy family. She saw herself as confident and self-assured, with a sense of purpose and direction.
As she opened her eyes, Candace began to write down all of the attributes, skills, and achievements that she wanted to have in her future self. She wrote down words like "confident", "resilient", "adaptable", and "successful". She wrote down skills like "leadership", "communication", and "problem-solving". And she wrote down achievements like "founded a successful business", "built a strong team", and "achieved financial stability".
Next, Candace assessed her current state. She looked at each of the attributes, skills, and achievements she had written down and asked herself how close she was to achieving them. She was honest with herself, and the truth was that she was nowhere near where she wanted to be.
Candace then identified the gaps between her current state and her ideal future self. She saw that she was lacking in confidence, and that she struggled with communication and problem-solving. She saw that she was not yet a successful businesswoman, and that she did not have a strong team or a sense of financial stability.
Finally, Candace examined why these gaps existed. She realized that she had been holding herself back by not taking risks and not being willing to fail. She realized that she had been afraid to speak up and assert herself, and that she had been afraid to take on new challenges.
As Candace looked at the gaps between her current state and her ideal future self, she felt a sense of determination wash over her. She knew that she had the power to change, and that she had the ability to create the life she wanted. She knew that it wouldn't be easy, but she was ready to take the first step.
Over the next few weeks, Candace worked on closing the gaps between her current state and her ideal future self. She took classes to improve her communication and problem-solving skills. She started taking on new challenges and stepping outside of her comfort zone. And she began to build a strong team around her.
As Candace worked on closing the gaps, she began to feel a sense of confidence and self-assurance that she had never felt before. She began to see herself as a successful businesswoman, with a thriving company and a happy family. And she knew that she had the power to create the life she wanted.
Candace's journey of self-discovery was not easy, but it was worth it. She learned that she had the power to create the life she wanted, and that she had the ability to overcome any obstacle that came her way. And she knew that she would always be able to look back on her journey and say, "I did it."