A Letter to Your Future Self

I know I mention Mel Robbins a lot, but her recent conversation with Debbie Millman has stayed with me. Debbie is an award-winning designer, brand strategist, and longtime professor who’s been teaching a course called Designing Your Life at the School of Visual Arts for more than a decade.

Debbie says that actually declaring your dreams out loud matters: “And I do think that that declaration was really, really important. It’s one thing to write something and sort of hide it.” She adds, “It’s another thing to almost admit that these are things that you want. And once you admit it out loud, there’s a way it integrates into your intentions… design is simply the decisions you make intentionally.”

Her signature assignment is to write a letter to yourself as if it’s 10 years from now and then read it out loud. You don’t just list goals; you describe a day in vivid detail: from the moment you wake up, the feel of the sheets, whether there’s a pet at your feet, what you drink first, how you move through your morning, the work you do, how you wind down at night, and what brings you the most joy.

The free workbook that goes with the episode has thoughtful prompts to get you started, like…

• What does a perfect morning look and feel like?

• Describe your relationships with your friends.

• How do you spend your afternoons and evenings?

• Where are you living and what surrounds you?

I’ve actually started this project myself, and I’ll admit… it’s not as simple as it sounds. It takes time to really sit with the questions and picture the life you want in detail, but it’s worth it.

Over the past few years… and especially this year… I’ve been leaning into what it really means to live with intention. That’s something I first learned when I trained as a meditation teacher through the Chopra Center, the idea that clarity grows when we get quiet enough to listen. More recently, becoming a Jay Shetty–certified life coach has reinforced how powerful it is to line up your habits with the vision you hold for your future.

Scott and I have felt this in real life as we’ve said goodbye to our Maryland home, let go of so many belongings, and stepped into a new chapter. I’ve come to see that it also takes an abundant mindset to release the old… trusting that what truly belongs in your next chapter will show up, and that what you let go of creates room for the things and experiences that better serve the life you’re designing.

If you’re curious about your own next chapter, I can’t recommend this episode of The Mel Robbins Podcast and the free workbook inside it enough.