What Is Your Future Self?

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If you accept the idea that you're going to be a different person in 30 years' time, you should play an active role crafting the person you are going to become. The first piece of advice is to stay curious. Among the people who might disagree with us are our own future selves. So when we express views with great certitude and great confidence, let's add a touch of humility.

"You are constantly becoming a new person," says journalist Shankar Vedantam. In a talk full of beautiful storytelling, he explains the profound impact of something he calls the "illusion of continuity" -- the belief that our future selves will share the same views, perspectives and hopes as our current selves -- and shows how we can more proactively craft the people we are to become.