The 7 Habits Nudge Series Part 2: 'A Letter of Gratitude from Your Future Self' — How 'Beginning with the End in Mind' Changes Today's Steps

"What kind of morning do you want to be waking up to 10 years from now?"
Perhaps not many people can answer this question immediately. I was the same way before.
"I guess it would be nice to be healthy and spend my time peacefully while drinking some delicious coffee."
But actually, this is equivalent to 'having nothing planned at all.'
I am currently 56 years old, with mandatory retirement at 65, and before that, a management retirement at 60.
When I reach these milestones as a company employee, what decisions will I have made, and how will I be spending my life after that?
While I have a vague sense of anxiety and a philosophical acceptance that 'things will work out,' I had been putting off creating a clear image.
As a company employee, everyone eventually reaches these milestones, but do you have a clear vision of how you will greet that day?

■ What is Habit 2: 'Begin with the End in Mind'?
In Stephen R. Covey's 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,' it is said that 'all things are created twice.'
First, it is designed in the mind (mental creation), and then it is realized through actual action (physical creation). These are the 'first creation' and the 'second creation'.
For example, when building a house, construction doesn't just start without a blueprint, right?
The future is the same.
By visualizing a concrete image, the direction you should aim for becomes clear. You can then reaffirm your values, such as 'what I want to cherish in life' and 'what kind of person I want to be.' You will be able to make daily choices in line with those values, reducing unnecessary hesitation.
Conversely, if this image remains vague, you may be swept away by the waves of a busy daily life and find yourself stopping to wonder, 'What am I working so hard for?' That is why this habit is our 'inner compass.'

■ Using Nudges to Bring Your 'Future Self' into Daily Life
I also had a vague hope that 'it would be nice to run a board game cafe' after retirement, but in that state, it doesn't lead to concrete action.
However, it is truly difficult to take such a blurred hope, turn it into a clear vision, and continue to be conscious of it in the midst of a busy daily life.
While 'The 7 Habits' explains the effectiveness of creating a 'mission statement,' here I would like to propose a slightly lighter method that utilizes nudges.

🌱 Nudge 1: 'Creating a Values Card'

First, identify the values you truly cherish.
Choose three things you cannot compromise on in your life, such as 'time with family,' 'health,' 'growth,' 'integrity,' or 'connection with the community.' Next, write them down on a single card. Keep it in your planner, stick it in front of your desk, or place it somewhere you can see it. By checking this every day, your daily actions will naturally align with those values.

• AI Utilization: By asking ChatGPT 'questions to clarify your values,' you might discover important values you weren't conscious of. Furthermore, by having it suggest a list of concrete actions based on your values, it becomes a trigger to move forward one step at a time every day.

🌱 Nudge 2: 'Vision Board'

• Use magazine clippings or hand-drawn images to paste your ideal morning, life, and self onto a corkboard or notebook. Not only is it something to look back on when your motivation drops, but making it a habit to view it when you wake up or before you go out will naturally make you think, 'I'll take one step forward today for the sake of this future.'

• AI Utilization: Generate images of your ideal scenes using an AI skilled at image generation, such as Midjourney. It can be used digitally or printed. It's also great as a smartphone wallpaper. By linking it with Notion AI to automatically manage the progress of your vision board, you can visualize your 'degree of ideal realization.'

🌱 Nudge 3: 'Future Diary'

• Every night, write 2-3 lines in your diary from the perspective of 'If I were to express gratitude from my future self to my present self, what would I say?' By thinking, 'If my future self were to thank me for today, what action would that be?', you can give meaning to your small daily actions. For example, you might realize that dropping by a cafe you've been curious about or participating in a board game event is a contribution to the future.

• AI Utilization: Have ChatGPT organize a 'future-perspective reflection' based on today's events. If you link it with Notion AI, you can automatically organize and verbalize your daily actions, accumulating them as a 'list of actions for which my future self will be grateful.'

■ Summary: 'Visualizing the Future' is the Power to Encourage Today

• The goal may seem far away, but it actually resides in your daily activities.
  As long as you don't head in the wrong direction, today's step will steadily lead you to your goal.

• It is important not to think of your mission as something for 'special days,' but to 'be conscious of it daily.'
  Even big dreams are shaped little by little by how you 'choose' in this very moment.

• Let's 'design the present from the future' while borrowing the power of AI.
  AI is our partner in organizing our thoughts and a co-creation partner that gently nudges us so we don't lose sight of our ideal future.

■ In Closing

Even if I spend the next 10 years just drifting along, I'll probably still be able to drink a delicious cup of coffee in the morning. But will the environment surrounding me as I drink that coffee be the same?
My future self will surely say this:
'Thank you to the me who took that step on that day. Thanks to you, there is a board game cafe here where I can laugh with friends.'
Won't you take a step starting today so that your future self will be grateful to you? Start by concretely visualizing your ideal future.

Spin-off: The Ideal Future Created by 'Beginning with the End in Mind' ~A Wonderful Life After Management Retirement~

🔜 Next Preview
Habit 3 x Nudge: 'Put First Things First'
~A Nudge for the 'Procrastination Habit'~