Future Thinking

If you were to write a letter to yourself that was 10 years younger , what would you say ? You might say don't worry about the little things you were worrying about , because it will soon be resolved .

Or you might say to your past self that thinking you won't accomplish your goal is not going to serve you , because , regardless of getting to your goal , worrying is not going to help . You might tell yourself don't fret about the little things . But it is difficult to do that when you are in the thick of the moment .

But it seems not only important but essential to worry . So your present self knows how to worry and your future self is giving you advice not to worry . You will get great advice from your future self . Try this exercise . Write a letter to yourself . You will get the best advice from your future self because you are your best teacher .

Our brain likes to be past focused because it learns from experiences , because that is the part that is comfortable and it's familiar . Thinking about the future requires creativity , planning , imagination and living from possibilities .

Thinking I can't lose weight , I can't make money , I can't be happy in my marriage all of this is because I have no evidence from the past that I've been able to do it so far . So that is familiar . Living from the past is comfortable . It stagnates you , but all of us have an inspiration of being better and being more .

Human nature is to strive to the higher self . That is the fitra . It is when we stagnate we stay comfortable . That is when we ignore this human nature . Between this drive towards the higher purpose and the fight to stay comfortable is where most of our lifelong struggles lie . Again , it's between the higher brain and the lower brain .

Stay comfortable is where most of our lifelong struggles lie . Again , it's between the higher brain and the lower brain . That is pretty much what it breaks down to .

At any given moment you're having thoughts of the higher brain or the lower brain origin , you might come to think of this as an ultra-simplified version of life , but the point of sticking to this explanation is for us to see that , if we are to simplify things , we can see how much control we actually have over our lives .

Choosing between our higher and lower self is free will . So we've established that reminiscing over past experiences stagnates us . This is very different than learning from the past experiences . In stagnation , you stay stuck . In learning from the past , you learn from your mistakes and you move forward . I'm not saying ignore your past . I'm saying do not stay there .

And when we tell ourselves that we have never been able to do such and such , we are collecting evidence from the past or lack of evidence in this case and we stay stuck . This comes with a very heavy price of ignoring the drive to be our better selves .

And when we ignore this drive , this human nature to evolve , that is when we engage in behaviors to keep us artificially occupied , like in case of spending hours on social media or emotional eating or self-pity . All of these are emotions and actions that keep us occupied when we are ignoring our higher brain .

In the meanwhile , the lower brain is busy creating realities to keep us comfortable , to justify our stagnation . How creative of the lower brain . First , it paints a picture of doom and gloom by collecting evidence from the past . Then it creates emotions and actions that keep us occupied so we can't even see any other reality .

Good news is , as always , we can overcome this by a concept called future thinking . For this you have to transport yourself to the future , when you have met your goal , and from there you ask yourself what am I thinking now ? These are some examples Thought I have met my weight loss goal creates a feeling of confidence . Thought I found my ideal spouse .

Creates a feeling of fulfillment . Thought I am financially stable . Creating a feeling of self-assured Thought I found my ideal spouse . Creates a feeling of fulfillment . Thought I am financially stable . Creating a feeling of self-assured Thought my in-laws are very supportive . Creates a feeling of love .

So from these feelings of confidence , fulfillment , love , you have to borrow them and bring them to the present , because feelings drive actions . When you're feeling confident , you will take actions from that place that will generate results that you can never get from the past . Focused thinking , you'll achieve your goal weight . You'll create ideal relationships .

This can be such a mind-bending thing . You can only create results from the place of future emotions , confidence , fulfillment , love . You don't have evidence to create that thinking now . So you , you keep thinking I can never do this because I've never done it in the past .

So you stay stuck , you keep emotionally eating , you remain in a state of low self-confidence and you don't attract the right relationships . So you never get results based on the past , never creating any evidence for the future . So you can never break this cycle .

Best case scenario you stay stuck , but most commonly we spiral downwards , collecting more evidence for negative thoughts , making our situations worse . So the way to get out of this loop is to time travel . I mean just mentally , not physically . I haven't invented that yet , but if I do , I'll let you know .

So go to the future place and practice feeling what your results will make you feel when you have achieved your goal . Create a formula from that feeling , fill in the T line and the A line and practice that in the present and the result will come to life .

Because all you need to generate a feeling is a thought that will drive all of your actions and luckily , thoughts are under our control . We don't need evidence to generate practice and believe a thought . So start this exercise now . Travel to the future , find a thought that creates success and bring it to the present to generate results now .

Another example of this is professional women being burnt out , and mostly it is because we have no evidence from the past that we can be in a professional field and be a good homemaker . So we stay stuck in a misery , not realizing that it is the past-focused thinking that is creating the result .

Travel to the future , think from a place where you have unconditional love for your kids , your husband and passion for your career , and feel that joy . Now immerse in that joy and borrow it to apply it to the present . Put it in the feeling line of your current model . What do you have to be thinking that would create that joy around your family right now ?

Maybe it's the thought I have children , maybe it is that I am blessed to have a job , or maybe it is that you have a business and a career . All of these can bring you the feeling of joy , and when you can take actions from that joy , you will create your future self . In the present , you can achieve your goal of being a professional and a homemaker .

This very moment , borrowing thoughts and feelings from the future employs your higher brain . It requires creativity , imagination and planning . You can't go wrong with that . Write those future models down and practice them in the present . You can only create change from your higher brain .

Your lower brain will keep you busy , showing you all of the evidence from the past , and it does it so effectively that we forget . We have a higher , more intelligent brain that trumps all of the evidence from the past and it does it so effectively that we forget . We have a higher , more intelligent brain that trumps all of the past evidence .

That is how you create a future that is different from the past . That is how anyone creates a different future . All of these successful people

. You think they're sitting there remembering their past . No , they create what they want from the future . Imagining a new future opens opportunities for failure and there sneaks in the lower brain , showing us fear of failure . It wants us to stay comfortable with the way things are , and when we stay comfortable , we suppress our pure , genuine human desires .

This suppression leads us to engage in destructive behaviors . We blame our overeating on food . We blame our burnout on our boss . We blame our struggles on our husbands , because blaming is easier to do compared to self-reflection . Fascinating thing is that we engage in positive behaviors as an escape as well . We could be over-exercising , over-traveling , over-studying .

As an escape , keeping yourself busy gives you a genuine excuse of not listening to your true needs , needs of a higher connection and a better future . Ask yourself , what are you suppressing ? What future is your higher brain calling for that you haven't fulfilled yet ?

Imagine that future and borrow thoughts and feelings from it to create that change or risk forever living a life of false temporary pleasures , jumping from behavior to behavior . I pray to Allah to protect us from the trap of the lower brain , our nafs .

I love Allah Azza wa Jal's design of giving us the opportunity to overcome this struggle of the high and the low so we can serve our purpose in this life . I am eternally grateful for the sheer ability to imagine a new future and to create a new future . I am thankful for all of the other countless blessings that Allah has given us .

I pray that you find opportunities in your life to travel to the future moment so you can then borrow that thinking to change the trajectory of your life by the will of Allah . Inshaallah , I will talk to you guys next time .