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A Letter To My 2030 Self

Chris Lim
Dec 31, 2019 · 6 min read
I hope we followed our own advice.


Photo by Ivan Oboleninov from Pexels

Dear Future Me,

I am writing to you on the last day of the 2010s. Ten years have gone by, which equates to 3,653 days, an endless amount of memories come and gone, faces encountered and forgotten, experiences good and bad. People usually write to their former selves, often as a futile exercise wishing certain mistakes weren’t made, a form of self-therapy. But I’m not going to do that now — we both know that there’s no way in hell we’re getting through to 2010 us.

So why am I doing this? Well, I care about you, me, us… you know what I mean. And plus, I am hoping — HOPING — that this is going to be an enjoyable experience for you. If the 2020s were this amazing journey that saw you reach new heights that you didn’t think you were capable of reaching, then you’ll be able to laugh and feel a warmth of satisfaction and gratitude waft over you like the smell of a fresh brew in the morning as you read on. Hell, you may have even read this letter a few times along the way.

But if this decade was an utter fail, then please, by all means, stop reading now and continue being crawled-up-in-a-ball over there in the corner of the room.

As you’ll remember, the 2010s ended with us being in an odd place. Life was full of uncertainty, not the kind like wondering how spicy this salsa verde is going to be, but more like Is my life going to flourish or go horribly wrong? For the second time, you quit a nice-paying corporate job without something else lined up because you believed — we believed — that there’s more to life than collecting bi-weekly paychecks and deferred compensation (You will be better equipped to confirm these beliefs, being the 2030 us, but let me remind you that 2019 us is very much in the camp of I hope we are fucking right on this one).

So 2019 was the year of two roads diverged in a yellow wood. And being the left-brained individual that we are, we’ve given the two roads a lot of thought. But contrary to our nature, we took the road less traveled, and if that didn’t end in regret then there were a few principles that we followed and lived by during these ten years.

In case you forgot, I will outline these core beliefs now…

You are not that important
Everyone is the star of their own lives, the MVP, the headline act, the main attraction. That includes us. It’s not necessarily a bad thing; it’s just human nature. But oddly enough we forget that the world is a society of individuals overly concerned with themselves, so approaching life situations wondering what other people will think is rather ridiculous and nonsensical.

No one cares about our successes, failures, screw ups, humiliations, and awkward moments as much as we do.

So have the freedom to put ourself out there. Try something new. Be unembarrassable. No one’s nearly as fixated on our every move as we are. They’ve got their own shit to deal with.
It’ll all be over soon
I’m sure this one is even more real for you than it is for me since you’re ten years older. Life moves fast, doesn’t it? Remember when we were in high school, dying to graduate and move on, thinking those four measly years were taking forever? Four years now comes and goes with a blink of an eye. I’m sure it’s even faster for you.

So because life begins and ends quicker than we’d like to believe, why not go big? Why not see what we’re truly capable of, instead of playing it safe the whole way?

I’m hoping we strived for something more than sitting at home in our sweatpants Netflix and YouTube binging while re-scrolling through our Instagram feed to see the same posts of family photos, micro-influencers flexing hard, and celebrities.
Life is a game
We love games, you and me. I mean, who doesn’t? So what if we viewed life as a game, not so much to trivialize it, but to illuminate the opportunities available for us to level up? We, like most peopl
e, bind ourselves with limiting beliefs that don’t really serve us in a positive way. Sometimes we think we’re going to strike out while we’re still on deck — not a good thing. There are skills to be gained, experiences to be had, information to be attained. All of this so that we can build up our character and beat this game we call life.

Besides, games are fun. I’d rather have life be fun than a total bore.

Be an observer of yourself
Sometimes, we are simply too close to… ourselves. Our brain has a mind of its own, full of thoughts, beliefs, and emotions that deceive us and lead us astray. If someone cuts us off on the road we curse and yell at the sheer injustice of it all, or when we don’t get that promotion we believe there’s a giant conspiracy working against us. But these are simply overreactions caused by a mind that’s constantly playing tricks on us.

So why don’t we simply observe what’s happening and how our minds are reacting? Most of the time, there’s a better way to respond in a way that serves a more positive outcome than the one our mind pushes us towards. It just takes a little standing back and seeing something for what it is to get us there.

Give value to others
I know, we’re rather misanthropic. We’re the introverted, don’t-talk-to-me type that would much rather write alone in a solitary room than sing Kumbaya in a group sitting around a campfire. Hell, I’m writing to my self for Christ sakes.

BUT, if you’re a much happier me in 2030, then you will have branched out and discovered the power and joy of human connection that comes from giving. Right now, I would not consider myself a very charitable person, which seems quite odd because if I recall the occasions when I gave of myself to others, the experiences were all quite pleasant and, dare I say, enriching.

I’m not saying that I plan on joining the Peace Corps or that I’ll be giving more change to people on the streets, but I am saying that a more fruitful life is one that is lived with the perspective of believing that we are all one. If, in fact, we are nothing but giant clumps of subatomic particles in this universe, then there is a certain common connection we share, and knowing that might make even the most hardened curmudgeon want to lend a helping hand here and there.

You simply feel good when you can help someone for the better. Don’t you want to feel good?

Don’t try
Okay, this is in part a tribute to Bukowski, one of our favorites. But there’s a real message here.

It’s like those times when we were in our twenties and we tried so hard to impress that girl at the bar. And isn’t trying to be something we’re not what brought us to this fork in the road anyway? I think what our buddy Henry was trying to say on his tombstone was simply to relax, cut the bullshit, act natural, and just relieve yourself of any pressure that you don’t need. Of course we need to try, but try the right way. Be yourself, but be your best self, and live with that.

So as I’m sitting here, ready for this decade to close, I hope you — we — took these words to heart and put the 2020s to good use. I don’t know what’s going to happen really, but why would I want to? A written out future is a boring one. No one wants to see a movie where they already know exactly how it ends. So I’m here, ready for the ride, and I’m going to soak up every minute of it.

See you in ten years.

Life Lessons
Personal Development
Self Improvement
19 claps

WRITTEN BY
Chris Lim
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From LA. Lover of burgers, Bowie, basketball, The Beatles, breakfast burritos, bouldering, and beer.
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