2025 February 4 Finding the future you

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This is Jim Cranston from 7EveryMinute and 7EveryMinute.com, the podcast and website about reimagining your life. Thanks for joining me tonight to talk about finding—or even better, defining—the future you. No artificial intelligence needed for this!

I recently came across a fascinating story titled AI Has Shown Me My Future. Who could resist a title like that? It combines AI, fortune-telling, and positive aging—topics that are definitely interesting to us, right? The article discusses a new AI tool called MIT Future U. It’s a collaboration between the MIT Media Lab, UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, and Harvard. Together, they’ve created something quite intriguing.

The concept is that by going through a guided interview with yourself using this AI tool, you can gain a better understanding of your future self. This, in turn, helps you make more informed decisions in the present—decisions that are better aligned with the kind of future you want to create. Essentially, it’s about seeing a virtual version of your future self and then reflecting your current choices onto that vision.

The hashtag for this project is #MITFutureU, and the initial results of the study are encouraging. Even short interactions with the tool led to a 16% increase in motivation and a 15% stronger connection with the user's future self, compared to a control group that didn’t use the AI chatbot at all.

These are promising figures, but I believe they may actually underestimate the potential of getting mindfully in touch with your own vision. When you consciously create and live your goals—defining a life that aligns with your exact desires—you can achieve even greater results.

First, let’s talk a little more about the future self chatbot. At the time the article was written, it had been trained on data from around 60,000 people across 190 countries. That’s a pretty good-sized sample, giving it a potentially broad cross-section of perspectives from around the world. However, as is often the case, there are inherent biases to consider. Most of the participants were likely people with access to computers, as well as the interest and time to engage with something that falls more under the category of entertainment than necessity.

The article’s author, Heidi Mitchell, also noted that the chatbot’s responses tended to be generally optimistic—almost Pollyanna-like. Some of the advice it gave was, admittedly, quite obvious, like, “Take good care of your health.” Well, thanks for that! Naturally, it didn’t answer specific questions, like “How much money will I make?” or “How long will I live?” Instead, it would respond with something like, “Sorry, I can’t answer that.”

Of course, this is to be expected. We can’t actually see into the future. The chatbot is essentially making projections based on your own answers. What we have here is a specialized chatbot trained on data from the general population. By definition, it’s working with historical information and trying to extract patterns to apply to your life, all based on a limited number of responses you provide.

Now, let’s revisit our preferred method for defining a vision of the perfect future: working backwards from that future self to the present. This allows us to define our steps and goals while constantly reviewing our own roadmap to success. One of the goals of the Future Self chatbot was to encourage people to make better life choices in the present so they could live a better life in the future.

I think it’s hard to find a better motivation to change than starting with the end result you hope to achieve. When you create your own personally crafted vision of your future self, it becomes so much more impactful. It’s one thing to be told that your current habits might lead to less desirable outcomes. But think about how much more motivating it is to start by envisioning your future—where you want to be in 5, 10, or even 30 years—and then work backwards from there.

When you begin with a carefully formed and trained vision, actively encouraging your brain to think through the steps and challenges, your mind starts to work with you. It generates solutions and stays engaged in helping you achieve your goal. That’s a completely different experience from someone simply telling you, “Oh, you shouldn’t do that.”

Here, we’re saying, “Oh, this is what I want to be, and these are the steps I need to take to achieve it.” It’s all positive. It’s well known that negative motivation is hard to sustain. That’s why New Year’s resolutions rarely make it to February. Telling yourself not to do something because it’s bad for you just isn’t motivating.

Which do you think is more motivating? “Don’t eat that ice cream because you’ll put on weight,” or, “I see myself walking on the boardwalk in the sun. What should I eat to help me look my very best while I’m doing what I want to do?” Obviously, the second one is far more motivating.

Your brain starts telling you, “This is what I want to do. If we do this, we’ll be able to do that.” It’s all positive. The first approach is a restriction on your life, while the second is a step toward living the vision you’ve already created for yourself. It’s a pretty clear choice. Who wouldn’t want to do what it takes to attain a desired future goal instead of always telling yourself not to do something you enjoy?

Your brain is wired to make you happy, and working toward your vision will bring you happiness. On the other hand, constantly telling yourself not to do fun things won’t make you happy, which is why negative motivation usually isn’t sustainable.

Now, back to the Future Self chatbot. One of its major benefits is helping you discover exciting things about your future that can motivate you.

I’d suggest that thinking through your own vision will likely lead to far more extensive, meaningful, and motivating goals than you’d get by walking through a series of AI-generated questions based on anonymized general data. You know what you’ve been dreaming about since you were a child or what deeply personal, important thing you’ve just discovered—or maybe even what you’ve been quietly harboring in your heart for years.

These are uniquely yours. You might not want to share them with someone else, and you might not even want to share them with a chatbot, but you can acknowledge them to yourself. You can say, “I’ve always dreamed of doing this or that.” And even if it seems silly, if you plant it in your vision—like we’ve talked about many times—and give your brain some time, you’ll often find a way to make that dream become a reality, whatever it may be.

Spend some time—say, over a few weeks—writing down your vision, saying it out loud, and truly immersing yourself in it. Smell the smells, see the sights, hear the sounds, and feel the sensations. Picture it vividly. Feel the temperature, hear the clinking of glasses at a restaurant, the waves crashing at the beach, or the wind rustling through the trees in the mountains.

Truly envision what you want and say it out loud. Hearing yourself articulate it reinforces its importance in your mind. Your brain will register that it’s meaningful to you and work to find ways to make it happen. This process makes your goals feel real and deeply personal—so much more significant than some superficial, unimportant goal that someone else has defined for you.

To be clear, there are certainly prompts that can help get you started, like asking yourself, “What have I always dreamed of doing or seeing?” Questions like that can spark ideas and get your mind heading in the right direction. But usually, once you start focusing on those thoughts and give your brain some time to truly envision and explore the possibilities, you’ll likely uncover a future self that’s much more relevant and motivating—entirely your own.

And you can do this all on your own. This isn’t to downplay the future self chatbot or the psychology behind it—it’s a fascinating tool. But in many ways, it’s automating the process we’ve been discussing all along. For the sake of simplicity and reliability, it serves as a structured guide. However, our approach focuses on helping you craft your personal vision, define the specific steps needed to move toward that future, and develop strategies to stay motivated—even when life inevitably throws obstacles in your way.

Remember, positive motivation is far stronger and more sustainable than negative motivation, and here’s why: Positive motivation works to move you closer to your own goals, which makes it inherently rewarding. There’s a built-in sense of fulfillment because you’re striving toward something you genuinely want.

On the other hand, negative motivation often revolves around denial—denying yourself something you like or enjoy. That requires constant effort and willpower, which is much harder to maintain because it creates a sense of struggle. It’s like giving your brain the wrong image. Instead of focusing on what you want to achieve, you’re stuck thinking about what you can’t have—and that’s rarely inspiring.

When you give your brain a list of all the things you like and tell yourself, “You can’t have this, and you can’t do that,” it’s just not a fun or sustainable way to live. By working toward your vision, your brain already has the desired outcome in mind. Not only is that inherently motivating, but it also aligns with your brain’s natural inclination to keep you happy, safe, and focused. Your brain will even stay busy coming up with creative alternatives to help you live toward your vision without feeling deprived.

For example, instead of thinking, “I can’t have ice cream,” and feeling grumpy about it—“I want ice cream, but I can’t have it today!”—your brain reframes it. It becomes, “Oh, here’s a yummy fruit dish with a little dollop of sherbet on top.” It might not be the exact thing you initially wanted, but it still satisfies you and keeps you moving closer to your goal.

Your brain is wired to keep you happy and motivated while you work toward your goals. That’s why positive motivation tied to your vision is always easier to maintain. Plus, when you inevitably hit a roadblock—and you will—it’s much easier to recover. Instead of seeing it as a failure, your brain processes it as an unexpected challenge to learn from.

And that’s key. If every time you miss a goal, you tell yourself, “I can’t ever do anything right,” you’re bound to feel discouraged. But if you approach it with curiosity, like, “Huh, what went wrong there?” your brain can analyze the situation. Maybe you realize, “Oh, I didn’t eat breakfast, so I was starving at lunch, and that’s why I grabbed a candy bar.” That’s a positive insight—next time, you’ll remember to have a little breakfast.

So, while the future self chatbot can be entertaining and even helpful, if you really want to meet your future self, you already have everything you need to make it happen.

Namely, you have yourself and your own vision. You already know what matters most to you, and with a little thoughtful consideration, you can figure out the steps to get there. The journey is simply about defining those steps, understanding that the path may need to shift along the way, forgiving yourself when things don’t go as planned, and always keeping your ultimate goal in sight.

That’s it for the evening. Your homework tonight is straightforward. If you haven’t done it in a while, take some time to think about your vision. Create a vision board or start a notebook—it’s usually helpful to have something tangible. Truly envision the future you want to live.

For example, if your dream is to retire on a beach, make that vision as vivid as possible. Picture the sand between your toes, the waves crashing gently on the shore, and the warm sun on your skin. Imagine the smell of nearby barbecue grills, the sound of laughter, and the clinking of iced tea glasses from a neighboring group. Envision your friends sitting beside you, chatting about how perfect the day is.

The more sensory details you include, the more real the vision becomes. Write all of it down. It’s important to use a pen or pencil on actual paper—there’s something about the physical act of writing that helps solidify the connection between your mind and your goals.

When you write down your vision, it creates a much stronger impression in your brain. Then, the next day—or that night, or whenever you find yourself thinking, I’m not sure what I want to do—go back to it. Read your vision, close your eyes, and immerse yourself in it again. Engage all those senses you used before, and let yourself fully experience that future.

Your brain will start working toward it. It might think, Okay, we’re working the counter at McDonald’s right now. I’m not entirely sure how we’re going to get there just yet, but I’m figuring it out. Your mind will begin looking for ways to adjust and make changes that move you closer to your vision, as long as it’s even remotely possible.

That’s the beauty of working backward from your vision—it sets your brain in motion. So, as I mentioned, your homework is to revisit and update your vision. Think about it deeply, write it all down again, and give this process a real try.

That’s all for today—thank you so much for joining me. And before we go, let’s remember the many conflicts and challenges happening around the world. While Ukraine remains in desperate need of support, there are countless others who also need help. For those looking for ways to contribute, I recommend visiting UKR7.com, where we’ve updated links to organizations directly supporting Ukraine. 

Another excellent organization is World Central Kitchen at WCK.org. They’re active in disaster areas both in the United States and abroad, focusing on providing meals—and sometimes shelter—to ensure people in crisis stay fed and cared for.

And as we always say, there are plenty of opportunities to help right in your local community—whether through donations, volunteering your time, or simply being kind. If you don’t have the resources or time right now, that’s okay! You can still make a meaningful difference in small, simple ways.

Here’s an example: I was walking down the street the other day, and I said something to someone—just a small compliment—and their face lit up. They said, Wow, thanks! To me, it wasn’t a big deal; I said it from the heart without overthinking it. I told them, You look really fancy today! and it clearly made their day.

It’s such a small thing, but everyone has the power to make someone else smile. If you’re able to support local organizations or the causes we mentioned earlier, that’s fantastic. But even if you can’t, you can still brighten someone’s day just by acknowledging them—say hi, wish them good morning, or offer a kind compliment.

When you shift your focus outward—when you stop thinking about everything happening to me and instead notice the people around you—it changes your perspective on the world. Sharing your enthusiasm and positivity with others not only makes their day better but also transforms how you experience the world.

So, as always, thank you for stopping by. If you found something useful or inspiring today, please pass it along. Don’t forget to subscribe and hit that like button! And if there’s something you’d like me to talk about in the future, drop me a comment—I’d love to hear from you.

Have a wonderful week, and remember to live the life you dream of, because that’s the path to true contentment. Love and encouragement to everyone. See you next week on 7EveryMinute and 7EveryMinute.com.