Motivational Tip: Talk to Your Past and Future Self

Hi, I'm Liz Moser, a Mayo Clinic and National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach.

I generally work with my clients for three months. At the three- or four-week point when they start making progress towards their goals, my clients sometimes become fearful of backsliding or forgetting how unhealthy and lethargic they use to feel. 

At that point, I ask them to imagine what their before-coaching-self would say to them now. Or how would their before-coaching-self regard the progress they have made? Sometimes I ask them to put their before-coaching-glasses on and look through those lenses and tell me what they see now.

I usually hear comments like:
‘Wow, I never thought I could do this!’ 
‘You look terrific! I mean, we look fantastic! Ha!’
‘Keep it up!’
‘I’m so impressed!’
And,
‘What took us so long!’

This supports my clients to maintain a more grateful and realistic frame of mind.  Feeling like what they are doing is nothing or no big deal, or they should be farther along, or they should be doing more or better,  Is unmotivating and can lead to relapses and backslides.  Sometimes the, ‘I should be farther along’ is a permission-giving thought that can lead them to break their commitments and take a step back. 

After we have the conversation during our coaching call, I ask them if they’d like to take this exercise a step farther and write a letter from their pre-coaching self to their current self.  It’s beneficial to have a document that reminds my clients what it felt like before their progress in coaching.  It encourages them to continue with your efforts.

Another method I employ with my clients is I ask them to talk to their future-self.  Yes, my clients have their wellness visions, which is a blueprint of the life they want to lead, and that's an essential touchstone.  However, if my clients are feeling frustrated, bored, or unmotivated visualizing a conversation with their future-self at the end of a successful three months of coaching is very inspiring. 

I ask my clients to imagine that they have kept their commitments to themselves throughout coaching, and I pose the questions:
‘What does your future-self look like?’
‘How is your future-self feeling?’
‘What is your future-self thinking?’ 
Given that information, ‘What does your future-self want to say to you now, to your current self?’  

Usually, the imagined future-client says encouraging things such as:
‘It takes hard work, day after day, and you might not see it, but slow and steady makes progress.’ 
‘Thank you for the hard work you are doing now.  It brought the success I’m experiencing, and I feel so good!’ 
‘Stick with it, because just look at me.  Look at the results!’
‘We are worth it!’ 

The future self is generally full of joy and appreciation for the hard work you are putting in today.  Without fail, the future self never regrets passing on the junk food at a party or missing a happy hour because of a planned workout.  No, your future-self is thankful and radiating health and happiness. 

Again, it is useful for my clients to write a letter from their future self, reiterating all these inspiring things.  They can reread it at any time to strengthen their resolve.

So, if you are on a journey of incorporating healthy changes into your lifestyle, I  suggest visualizing a conversation with the pre-change you if you are afraid of backsliding or if you think you’re progressing too slowly.  Because, no matter how slow your progress, you are farther than you were before you started, and any worthwhile health and wellness goal takes time and effort. 

And talk to the future-you if you are feeling frustrated, bored, or unmotivated.  The future you who is either closer or maintaining your goal is really proud of your current effort and so pleased with where you are in the future. The future healthier version of you reminds your current self that every effort today affects your tomorrow, your next month, and next year.

Let me ask you: what future results do you want to be working towards today, and go ahead, start now! ❤

I’m Liz Moser, a Mayo Clinic and National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, and thank you for reading this blog about utilizing your past and future ‘you’ to support your current health and wellness goals.  If you have any questions about this blog, about health and wellness, or wellness coaching with me, please reach out via my website at lizmosercoaching.com

Bye for now and be well,

Liz