Letter to Your Future Self

We’re all different. But we all have one thing in common. We’re all living people, and we constantly have something we need or wish for. Sometimes we achieve what we want, persistently and consistently, and sometimes we want everything right here and now. We live as if we are flowing in a steady river stream or making our way through gorges of obstacles. Sometimes there are too many obstacles, but you don’t give up if you want to grow.

I remember when I was a child, my mother used to reach for a large can of condensed milk from the top shelf of our glass front cabinet, which my father had sent to us when he was at his combat post in Königsberg. And I would put a chair next to the cupboard and climb on it, but still couldn’t reach the cherished can. I couldn’t wait to finally grow up and be as tall as my mother.
My difficult but wonderful postwar childhood flew by like the dragonflies, fluttering their wings, flying around us all summer on the bank of the river that carried us into adulthood.
I grew up and was able to reach the top shelf of the cabinet myself. I’ve achieved a lot by overcoming problems and lost a lot in the process. I’ve lived a long time. I’m not growing tall anymore, and I can hardly reach the top shelf of our glass front cabinet, which has aged and crumbled along with me.

But it doesn’t make me sad. Body cannot withstand time, but spirit can. And if the spirit continues to grow, then life remains to be beautiful, because your heart is still beating, even though it’s trembling.

What can you wish for yourself for the next five years when you’re already 82 years old? The fragility of old age will take away what it wants anyway. Still, may the heart continue to beat, and tremble, and sing its cheerful song.

We grew up with songs: from our mothers' lullabies to our father’s victory songs that we sang together. There were songs of our youth, when joy and ardor filled us. There were songs of sadness and songs of love. And then, there are songs of prayer. They open the pure world of truth and goodness. The most important thing now is for the heart to sing, the living thought to throb in the head. After all, when there’s a rainbow in your soul, the physically inaccessible only strengthens everything around, paints it in bright colors.

For those who are struggling now — move forward, overcome and fight, and keep the light in your soul, which will shine as a rainbow, overjoyed with breakthrough. Cherish your rainbow, share it with each other. Enjoy every moment of life while there’s a rainbow in your soul."

L.I. Nekrasova

Larisa Ivanovna Nekrasova, 16 June 2021, open in 2026. 

"I'm writing a letter to the new me, the one who has blossomed, having set her priorities. The one who has put things in their proper places, in the style of Marie Kondo. And the best part is that those things always return to their places. Everyone plays their part in that order: your husband, your kids, your cats, though you are still the mastermind. There’s nothing unnecessary, not in things, not in thoughts, not in actions.

Your children have grown older.

Vasilisa is totally ready for school. You’ve found the best option for her education — home schooling, and it’s the right way.

Matryona is all grown up, she’s such an intelligent and conscious little girl that you have already forgotten the time when she wouldn’t get off your arms and let you do anything.

You feel much better.

Your son Tikhon is mama’s helper. Strong and responsible. He’s been doing gymnastics for a year now. He toughened up, his feet got straighter.

It was finally good timing to buy him a parrot.

The book for kids came out through a very good publishing house. Written and illustrated by me.

This is a wonderful gift for my kids. And a great joy for me. The kids are asking for the second one.

You have a little more free time now, so you’re putting up house performances, where you read poems and sing your songs, rattling the maraca. You’re almost like Vera Polozkova, but you’re Tonya Snytkina.

This year you’re going to Dagestan, and you’re not afraid, you’ve already got the experience. The trip to the Sea of Azov in 2021 went just fine.

The authorities In Smolensk have decided to build a dance floor, that’s supposedly due this City Day.
My husband and I are already rehearsing bachata."

June 16, 2021.

"My name is Ian. I am 11 years old. I study at School number 8. I like cooking, drawing and walking. I know the history of my country well.

Here’s my future in ten years.
I’m 21. I’m a chef in a restaurant in Saint Petersburg. I have my own car and a flat in the center of St. Pete. Besides my main job, I give tours around the city.

I’d like Russia to become the world leader in economy and standard of living.

I’d like the state exams to be canceled, because they put school students under a lot of stress.
I hope coronavirus will be over."

June 16, 2021.

"The letter I’m writing to myself now could have been written much earlier, or might never have been written at all.
So, let’s recap everything that was written before this letter.

You seem like a nice guy, and you’re headed in the right direction. But sometimes it seems like you lack something. Sometimes it’s understanding, sometimes it’s persistence, sometimes you’re too soft, or, on the contrary, you overreact and get too tough.

Try to look at people from a third-person perspective, put yourself in their shoes. Even better, unite people around you, make them interested, make them listen with their mouths open. Inspire people to take action and achieve things, say the right words. It’s time to finally act on that to-do list you’ve written with your own hand. And don’t stop moving forward: after all, it all comes down to actions, to your actions.

Be inquisitive and more sociable. Find someone to talk to everywhere, explore the world. Be more open, because sometimes it feels like you keep your guard up too much. Start talking to girls more often. Women are the flowers of the world, they are difficult to understand, but you need to keep trying. There’s not a single person who died of communication. Only do what you like. Love your job as it helps you become a better man, more so than entertainment.

Take breaks and travel, explore the world, new countries, places and horizons. Don’t forget about your loved ones. Be home more often. Don’t forget your friends, don’t miss any given chance to see them.
Of course, you need to draw inspiration from somewhere, so find that source. This will help you open up even more creatively. Write your stories, tell them, surprise.

Learn from others. Yes, this is very important, never consider you’re better than others, always learn and question what you are sure of. Review your judgments, sometimes you might discover something new within yourself.

Maybe you should take singing lessons or learn to play the guitar? You’re capable of anything, remember that.

Time does not stand still, though, so try to spend it wisely. Less internet, more exercise, schedule your day in the most rational and productive way. Try new things, if you don’t like them — quit.

Oh, and one more thing: you should build up your muscle a little — the summer’s coming, and you don’t want to scare everyone off with those bones, do you??? Change yourself! Make yourself change! Force yourself into action! Don’t just stay where you are! Don’t read the news feed for more that 15 minutes, better read books or articles, and study new things!!!
Today is the day that will change your life!!!"

Writing to yourself is a way to reflect, to think about the present, to set directions for self-development. And after a certain period of time, it is an opportunity to be amazed by your past self. Thousands of thoughts flash through our minds every day. But still, not all of us know how to talk to ourselves, listen to ourselves, notice changes in ourselves.

Writing to yourself allows you to capture how you feel at a certain point in life, a certain moment. You don’t need KPI to evaluate what you’ve accomplished. This letter is an opportunity to address yourself in retrospect, to go back, to argue with yourself, to compare the new and the old "you". The "me" from the past may turn out to be a person who will surprise you, a pleasant companion, a friend, or perhaps, it will even feel alien to the present "you". It is a fascinating dialogue flowing across the years, and an experiment that might yield unexpected results.

Writing to your future self is kind of like today’s version of you kicking the future you, the person you don’t know yet, but who you will become quite (or not quite) soon.

After all, the messages and the information we launch into the future are not only unique, but can in many ways predetermine our destiny or turn our energy, as well as our lives, in a certain direction.

I did a similar thing more than eight years ago when I wrote myself a message. Now, after that letter was read and analyzed, I can say with certainty that almost everything I wrote and wished for has come true.

But the most incredible thing was when I read that letter, to my surprise I was able to realize that a thought formulated and laid down many years ago can bring such profound inner and outer change in a person.

That’s why I strongly recommend everyone to write such a letter into the future, if you haven’t yet. And once you open it, you will be amazed by the results and the changes that have occurred in your life.

A letter to your future self. I came across this phrase and figure it would be interesting to do. So, I wrote it. Yes, it takes certain courage to openly declare your desires and dreams. And you begin to wonder, what if what you’ve written won’t come true, or you won’t have achieved you goals in time. But I am brave. I set my deadline in a year. I’ve got huge plans. And this letter somewhat motivates me. It’s like a reference point for me. To read the letter is to sum up a certain stint of life. It’s a reason to think: am I living it right? And if not, I’ll sit down and write a new one.