Do you know your future self?

 

Can you know your future self?

 

 

 

This concept of becoming your future self is different for everyone - I believe it is different based on your age. The younger you are, the more you may think that you know your future self. The older you are, the more you may realize that who you are now, is not who you were when you were 23. The 23-year-old version of yourself might as well have been a stranger.

 

This does not mean that you are an actual different person. You are still you, but, the future you is built from learning experiences over time.

 

Philosophers have talked for many years about a thought experiment; this is sometimes referred to as the, Ship of Theseus". The great warrior Theseus returned from his exploits, his ship was stationed in the harbor as a memorial. And over the decades, parts of the ship began to rot and decay, and as this happened, planks were replaced by new planks. Until, eventually, every part of the ship of Theseus was built from something new.

 

And philosophers, starting with Plato, have asked the question, "If every part of the ship of Theseus is new, is this still the ship of Theseus?"

 

We, you and I, are all examples of the ship of Theseus. The cells in our body turn over all the time, they die, and new cells replace them. The people you were 10 years ago are not the people you are today. Like literally, the cells of your body, meaning your entire body, is physically not the same person. You have become, biologically, a different person.

 

But, according to journalist Shankar Vendantam, he believes that something much more profound happens are the psychological level.

 

You could argue that a ship is not just a collection of planks, and a body is not just a collection of cells. It is the organization of the planks that makes the ship. It is the organization of the cells that make the body. If you preserve the organization, even if you swap out the planks or the cells, you still have the ship and you still have the same body.

 

But at a psychological level, each new layer that's put down is not identical to the one that came before it.

 

So, what does this mean?

 

It means that, on an ongoing basis, you are constantly becoming a new person.

 

Think about this.

 

If you are 23 years old, you will be a different person than when you are 43 years old.

 

I am 43 years old, and when I think back to my 23-year-old self, that person was not a podcast host. That person was not a business owner.

 

If we are not careful, we will have the impression that the 23yr Andy, the 43yr old Any, and the 83-year-old Andy who will be living on a beach and traveling the world, are the very same person.

 

So, if we are not the same person, as we age, how can we age and become the person we want to be?

 

I believe there are 2 mindsets.

 

Someone with a growth mindset views intelligence, abilities, and talents as learnable and capable of improvement through effort.

 

Someone with a fixed mindset views those same traits as inherently stable and unchangeable over time.

 

This concept of growth and fixed mindsets was coined by psychologist Carol Dweck in her 2006 book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.

 

According to Dweck, challenging situations can be catastrophic for those with fixed mindsets because of the implication that if they don’t already have the skills or intelligence to complete a task, there’s no chance of improvement.

 

I have seen this play out in our industry, let me give you an example:

 

While working for Baseline Control Systems for the past 15yrs, the #1 question I always received from the field (distributors & contractors) was to teach them how it worked, prior to installing the system. Or, will you please come to the site and help me program it. Or, distributor account managers would get a request from their customers (contractors) to visit the site and help them. Account Managers with a FIXED mindset, would call me in advance, want me to make them an expert, because they were afraid to show up and not "be the expert". Account Managers with a GROWTH mindset, would have no problem jumping in head first, making a site visit with confidence, and learning everything they needed to know along the way.

 

This example of FIXED vs. GROWTH is one of the best ways I can describe the personality differences between those who excelled with the Baseline product, and those who would safely stay in their comfort zone and stick to the products they new - the boring stuff not making an impact in this industry.

 

When you have a growth mindset, you believe you can gain the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed, which makes every challenge a learning opportunity. Given the numerous challenges that landscape entrepreneurs face, a growth mindset can be a powerful tool as you work toward your company's success.

 

I need to bring this back home to where I started this episode. You do not know your future self - you become your future self - and to do this, you must learn how to incorporate the skills of a GROWTH mindset.

 

Let's talk about what those skills could be, so that when we become our future selfs, we don't don't look back with resentment or bewilderment.

 

I have 3 suggestions:

 

#1 If you believe what I just said could be true, that you will become a different person in 30 years, you should play an active role in crafting the person you are going to become. You get to be the creator of your future self. You should be the designer & developer of your future self.

 

What does this mean? It means you should expand your horizons. Do new things. Meet new people. Learn new skills and learn new concepts.

 

So suggestion #1 is to Stay Curious.

 

#2 Be humble, have humility

 

If we acknowledge that, in the future, we will be a different person, that means we will have different views and opinions. What we believe now, we may not believe in the future. Sometimes we will need to unthink & relearn what we think we know.

 

So, have humility for those around you, right now, who see this differently. Don't argue on social media, try to understand. You future self will thank you.

 

#3 Be Brave.

 

Our future self will have strength and wisdom that we do not have today. So when new opportunities come our way, we often hesitate. Just like the example I explained about Baseline controllers, or any new technology. There is hesitation. You might tell yourself that you don't have it in you to show up on a job site and not have all the answers.

You might tell yourself that you can't quit your job and start your own company. Or, you might tell yourself that you don't have it in you to learn how to ride a skateboard at the age of 55.

 

What we really should be saying is, "I don't have the skills or capacity to do that that. This doesn't mean I won't have the capacity to do that tomorrow. Or next week. Or next year. Or at sometime in the future.

 

The power is not saying no, or I can't, the power is in saying, I don't have those skills, YET.

 

And in order to learn those skills, and step into your future self, you must be BRAVE.

 

Be brave. Be fucking brave.

 

What seems easy for you, could take bravery from me. What seems easy to me, might take bravery from you.

 

So beware of those around you, and support the people you know to be BRAVE.

 

That is it!

 

So in summary, remember, you become your future self. You get to decide who your future self is, and you get to craft this person.

 

And, to craft this person, I suggest you develop the GROWTH mindset, that you stay CURIOUS, that you have HUMILITY, and that you are BRAVE.

 

And in 20 years, I cannot wait for my future self, to meet all the future yous...

 

Thank you for listening, I hope this episode landed in a good place, and I would love to have your feedback.

 

And remember, stay curious, be brave, have humility.