Hal Hershfield, a UCLA professor and author of 'Your Future Self,' dives into how envisioning our future selves can transform our present choices. He explains that by treating our future selves like distinct individuals, we can enhance decision-making and combat procrastination. Hershfield emphasizes practical strategies like writing letters to our future selves and employing temptation bundling for better motivation. The discussion also highlights the significance of clear communication in achieving personal growth and success.
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insights INSIGHT
Future Self and Well-being
Think about future selves tied to future goals.
Tapping into future selves' feelings motivates beneficial present actions.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Managing Procrastination
Acknowledge that future selves are different people.
Pushing pain to future selves through procrastination creates compounding harm.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Kindness and Self-Handicapping
Treat your future self with kindness, as you would a loved one.
Avoid self-handicapping by acknowledging that past obstacles will likely reappear.
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The novel follows William Waters, a young man who escapes his troubled past through a basketball scholarship, and Julia Padavano, the eldest of four close-knit sisters. As William becomes part of the Padavano family, he experiences a loving and chaotic household. However, when darkness from William’s past surfaces, it jeopardizes the family's future and tests the unshakeable loyalty among the sisters. The story spans over 50 years, exploring themes of family dynamics, mental illness, and the complexities of human relationships[1][4][5].
Dear Edward
Ann Napolitano
In 'Dear Edward', Ann Napolitano tells the story of Edward Adler, a 12-year-old boy who survives a plane crash that kills 191 others, including his family. The novel follows Edward's journey as he grapples with the loss of his loved ones, survivor's guilt, and the challenge of rebuilding his life. Edward becomes a celebrity due to the crash, but he finds solace in his friendship with his neighbor Shay. The story alternates between Edward's present and the past narratives of the other passengers on the flight, providing a deep and emotional exploration of grief, hope, and the human spirit. With the help of supportive characters, including his aunt, uncle, and a psychologist, Edward slowly begins to heal and find a new path in life. The novel is a heart-wrenching yet hopeful tale of resilience and the importance of human connections in the face of tragedy.
Your Future Self, How to Make Tomorrow Better Today
Hal Hirschfeld
Why creating happiness in the future starts today.
The new year gives us an opportunity to reflect on who we are and who we want to be. As we set resolutions and prepare for evolutions, this special four-part series on communication, happiness, and well-being explores practical ways to enhance our lives through better communication, deeper connections, and more meaningful choices.
In pursuing happiness and well-being, we often focus on the present moment. But according to Hal Hershfield, one of the best ways to help ourselves today is to have a conversation with ourselves in the future.
"When I say future self, I really mean any version of us that exists at some later point in time," explains Hershfield, a UCLA professor and author of Your Future Self: How to Make Tomorrow Better Today. By thinking of our future selves as different people — ones we should care about — we can make better choices in the present. "If we can tap into the feelings of our future selves, then we can do more that benefits them, which may make our lives easier now and later." In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Hershfield and host Matt Abrahams explore how communication between our present and future selves can help us set goals, make decisions, and overcome pitfalls like procrastination, enabling us to take meaningful action now so we can thrive today and tomorrow.
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/ThinkFast and get ten percent off your first month.
Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques 
