When you look back on yourself in the past – 10, 20, 30 or more years ago – it’s surprising to see how much you have changed over time. Your experiences, your friends, your family and your work have all shaped who you are right now. But where will you be in another few years? How will you have changed? Reflective writing in your journal is an excellent way to think about what you want out of the future. 当你10年、20年或更多年后回顾过去时，你会吃惊地发现，随着时光的流逝，你也发生了很大的变化。你的经历、朋友、家庭和工作造就了现在的你。但是再过几年你会在哪里呢?你会如何变化呢?这样反思性的写作，会是思考未来你想要什么的一种好的方式。

You may have already written a letter to your younger self before, conveying all the wisdom and perspective you wish you had had at the time. Now consider the opposite end of the spectrum; what would you say if you wrote your future self a letter? 你也许以前试过给过去的自己写信，向年轻时的自己传授一些人生的智慧和观点，你希望那时候的自己就能知道这些。现在我们换个角度看问题，如果让你给未来的自己写封信，你会写点什么? spectrum ['spektrəm]n. 光谱;频谱;范围;余象

Just imagine writing a letter to your future self 5 years from now, then opening it at that exact moment 5 years down the road to see how much of it resonated with you. It is a useful supplementary tool to be used in goal achievement, because when you write the letter to your future self, it helps crystallize exactly how you anticipate yourself to become at that specific moment down the road. 想象一下，给5年后的自己写一封信，当5年后你打开那封信时，你会产生多少共鸣。这是实现目标的一种有用的辅助工具，因为当你给未来的自己写信时，你会慢慢理清希望自己在人生旅途的那个特定时刻变成什么样子。 crystallize ['krɪstə'laɪz]vt. 使结晶;明确;使具体化;做成蜜饯 vi. 结晶，形成结晶;明确;具体化 anticipate [æn'tɪsɪpeɪt]vt. 预期，期望;占先，抢先;提前使用

As you read the letter in the future, you can assess how many things match up (or not) vs. your expectations in the past and think about why that’s the case. Often times, the goals we set and our goal achievement process are subjected to a lot of changes along the way, due to varying obstacles, unanticipated circumstances and changing priorities. The letter gives you a macro-view of your initial vision and lets you recognize how your current vision differs from the past. 当你在未来读这封信时，你可以看看有多少事情是像你过去期望的那样，你也会思考为什么会这样。很多时候，我们设定目标在实现的过程中会受到沿途中各种因素的影响，因为会遇到各种各样的困难、各种意外情况并需要不断调整优先级。这封信能让你从宏观的角度上去看自己最初的愿景，让你意识到自己现在的想法和过去相比有多么不同。

When you open the letter in the future, you as your future self gets to compare how you used to be in the past and compare with how you are currently. This lets you see in totality how much things have changed since then – and this can be a really intriguing experience. It’s interesting to just see how much you have grown/changed since you wrote the letter. 当你以后看信时，你会把过去的自己和现在的自己进行比较。这会让你看清从写信时起你发生了哪些变化，这种体验是非常有趣的。光看看从你写信开始发生了哪些变化就很有趣了。

What To Write About 写什么内容好呢?

Look at today’s date. Now imagine you writing to yourself, exactly X years from now. What do you want to say to your future self? 看看今天的日期。现在想象一下你在给X年后的自己写信。你想对未来的自己说些什么呢?

How do you want your future self to be like 1 year in the future? 你想让自己1年后变成什么样子呢?

What are the different dreams and goals you would want to be realized by then? 到那时你想实现的梦想和目标会有哪些不同呢?

What is your desired status of the areas of your life wheel at that time? 那时你想要的人生轨迹和状态会是什么样的呢?

Career/Business/Studies? Finances? Family? Friends? Love? Health? Spirituality? Recreation? Personal growth? Contribution? 职业/生意/学习?财政?家庭?朋友?爱情?健康?心灵?娱乐?个人成长?成就?

Once you’re done, sign off your name with today’s date. Safe keep your letter. Put the papers in an envelope. Seal it. 写完后，别忘了在名字下面写上今天的日期。妥善保管你的信件，把信纸放在信封里，封上信封。

Set in your calendar to open your letter 1 year from now. Put this envelope in a safe place where no one can access to it. 在日历上注明，1年后的今天你要打开这封信。把这封信放在安全的地方，确保别人看不到。

Live your life like you’ve never lived it before in the next 1 year. Open the letter 1 year later and relish in nostalgia, love and joy as you read the letter from yourself 1 year ago. 在接下来的1年里，好好生活，用崭新的方式过生活。一年后打开信封，在怀旧却又爱意满满的欢乐气氛中享受读信的乐趣。