Dear Readers, you all know that I listen to Tim Ferriss’s podcast because I mention it a lot. One of the recent episodes gave me a lot to think about. It was an interview with Debbie Millman, a designer, and she mentioned an exercise that her teacher had assigned. They were to imagine their life in 5 years and write it all down.
Here’s a quote that describes it:
we had to envision the life that we could have if we pursued everything that we wanted with the certainty that whatever it is that we wanted, we would succeed.
Debbie did the exercise, she invented “these long ranging, far-fetched goals”. And then, years later, she was shocked when she realized that almost all of it came true. “It is spooky, spooky,” she said. It’s not so strange, though, that she achieved her goals. Studies show that just the act of writing down your goals makes it much more likely you will achieve them.
Tim asked Debbie for details on how to do the exercise. You could listen to the episode to find out more about it. In case you don’t but want to do the exercise, here is another quote from Debbie where she lists the questions that you should answer in your essay:
So, let’s say it is winter, 2027. What does your life look like? What are you doing? Where are you living? Who are you living with? Do you have pets? What kind of house are you in? is it an apartment? Are you in the city? Are you in the country? What does your furniture look like? What is your bed like? What are your sheets like? What kind of clothes do you wear? What kind of hair do you have? Tell me about your pets. Tell me about your significant other.
Do you have children? Do you have a car? Do you have a boat? Talk about your career. What do you want? What are you reading? What are you making?
What excites you? What is your health like? And write this day, this one day ten years from now. So, one day in the winter of 2027; what does your whole day look like? Start from the minute you wake up, brush your teeth, have your coffee or tea, all the way through until when you tuck yourself in at night. What is that day like for you? Dream big. Dream without any fear. Write it all down. You don’t have to share it with anyone other than yourself. Put your whole heart into it and write like there’s no tomorrow. Write like your life depends on it because it does.
How to Design a Life — Debbie Millman (Tim Ferriss Show #214)
I like this idea. I will do the exercise today.