Last week I wrote a letter to my future self with several key points. In the letter, I listed out a few traits that I’m working on in 2013 and outlined the person I would hope to be by the year 2030. It included the present struggles that I face today and it was a reminder to myself that I can look back on anytime I want.
Now I’m opening up a question to all my readers: Who do you want to be in 2030?
We often hear the advice of picturing WHERE you want to be, but rarely is the question asked of who do you want to be in the future.
Keep in mind this is a personal development question, but it can be interpreted in any other way that you feel fits.
Ideas for Your Answer
I didn’t look at it as a question of career or where you want to live, but my interpretation was on personal traits that I can improve on to be a better person.
Some ideas on how to answer this question is by asking yourself several questions. For example, what things are Present-You working on and struggling with? You can then branch off that and talk about what you hope Future-You has a grip on.
Some more ideas you can talk about are time-management, stress techniques, remembering how to be yourself, or making meditation a daily habit. Get creative, genuine, and personal!
You can do this by making a list in the comments or even by doing what I did and write a letter to your future self. Be creative in how you share with us or even tackle it with a different perspective!
You can even write it in first-person or third-person and jump between the two.
I don’t want to set any limits because that could ruin potentially awesome ideas that you may have. Just make sure you share your answer in the comments so we can all discuss with you. This is a discussion after all!
My Answers
Not afraid of being different. Present-Vincent is rather insecure about being different. It’s difficult to ignore and is definitely one of his biggest current work-in-progress.
Future-Vincent of 2030 is a person who is 100% him all the time. He embraces his differences and people are drawn to his magnetic personality because he’s genuine.
Keep making friends and hold close my greatest friends. Present-Vincent used to talk to at least two new people a day. Lately, he’s been getting too comfortable and has forgotten how important it is to make new friends everywhere. The potential of awesome new friendships is wasted because he doesn’t make the effort.
He has also been neglecting to initiate contact with his closest friends because he’s been too busy working.
Vincent in 2030 is going to be talking to 10 new people each and every day. Since he’s doing that, his chances of making genuinely amazing friends increases! He also regularly calls his closest friends to spend time together because he balances his work life and social life well.
Trusting and interested in others. Here’s where Present-Vincent has got something right! He’s trusting and he actively listens because he is interested in other people’s life stories. Now it’s just a matter of staying that way all through 2030 and beyond.
So please, join the discussion. Who do you want to be in 2030?
Vincent, what a great idea!
In 2013, I would love to love to be spending most of my time doing what I am passionate about.
I would also love to take more moments to just be, and enjoy the present. Right now, I feel like a hamster running in a wheel most days.
i would love to create many memories with my kids and my closest friend – to share fun trips and trying new things together.
I would also love to master time management (or rather me-management) to be able to have a more balanced life. Right now it seems that my life is overtaken by some areas of my life while others get neglected.
Hi, Alena! Spending time on your passion is a great answer and I probably should have mentioned that for myself too! Oh well.
Ah, a lot of us are running in a hamster wheel aren’t we? I’m on the same boat as you and it’d definitely be nice to be able to have more time to just float on your back in the middle of the ocean (or lie on the floor if you prefer dryness!)
TIme-management is a tricky subject and perhaps one day I’ll tackle that in a series of articles. That’s not a topic I can cover in just one, but hopefully once it’s written it may give you new ideas.
Thanks for sharing, Alena!
Cool discussion idea Vincent. I wrote about the kind of man I want to be awhile back in my article “Are You Really the Man You Should Be?” I don’t want to get caught up in your spam filter so I won’t include the link. But here’s what I wrote:
“I picture a man strong in body and spirit. He’s unafraid to do the hard work necessary, and refuses to quit no matter how tough things get.
Resilient. Persistent. Up to the challenge.
He lives by a moral code and stands by his beliefs – even when the wind blows the other way. He speaks his mind, gives respect where respect is due, and will defend his loved ones to the death.
This man can be relied upon — he will never hesitate to help a friend in need. And so his friendships are unbreakable. People from all over seek his advice, for he has wisdom and speaks the hard truths without fear. He is who he is and absolutely will not fucking apologize for it.
This is a man who travels the hard path. A man of iron.”
That pretty much sums it up.
Cheers!
Hi, Trevor! Don’t worry about the spam filter because I look through it often to make sure no one is caught in there by accident.
That is beautifully written, Trevor!
Here is the link to the article he is referencing from in case anyone wants to read it.
Thanks, Trevor!
In 2030, I hope to be retired from teaching, but I’ll continue to do some writing. I’ll be pushing 70 in 2030. I hope to be supporting my daughter in her college education. She wants to go to medical school. And I hope to have a nice retirement home where I can spend time with friends and family. My plan is to have a healthy residual income from both my retirement, and book royalties.
You better be writing in 2030, Dan! You’ve got me and many other readers who would be very sad if you stopped. 🙂
Wow, medical school! Is she going to be a doctor?
Those are all great goals, Dan. Thanks for sharing it with us.
What do I want to be in 2030?
I’ll be 35. The age where people start worrying about being 40 in five years. That’s what I don’t want to be.
I want to be healthy and energetic because no way should someone be complaining about age when they haven’t even lived out half their life….
I want to be inspired and inspiring to others. I want to live my passions and help others do the same.
I want to help orphans in India and interrupters all over the world.
I want to still be ambitious as I am today, even if I don’t have the same goals 17 years from now….
~Devani
Hi, Devani.
“…no way should someone be complaining about age when they haven’t even lived out half their life….” That is a great point of view! A lot of people feel like 35 years is a long time and understandably so, but there’s still SO MUCH time left. So many new adventures to be had and personal breakthroughs to be done.
You do sound very passionate and selfless as well. Any specific goals on how you would help orphans in India? Donating? Adopting? I’m very curious because that’s a great goal. 🙂
I want to start by donating and volunteering with organizations that already exists, so I can go to India and see what it’s like and really live like the natives. Then eventually I want to start my own organization in India.
I’m so passionate about it because I was adopted from India when I was 3, so my heart is really drawn there. You can go to the Tribe Writer course and my story about the adoption is on lesson 1.6 (its too long to rewrite here) but I’ve always wanted to pay it forward ….
I just read through it and I am so amazed that your parents were persistent. It’s sad that they were lied to and had to jump through so many hoops to get back to you. Glad to know that everything worked out in the end. 🙂
The passion is obvious now and I understand what drives you. That’s great stuff, Devani. Paying it forward is a great plan to have in mind! Have you gone back to India to visit lately?
It wasn’t really that they were lied to, because adoption really is pretty simple over there… it’s that bureaucracy got in the way for my particular case, because the town where I was born was very poor and didn’t have a good system, so everything took waaaaaay longer. But yes, I’m glad it worked out as well!
We were going to go back when I turned 13 (around 2010-2011) but that’s when the Muslim’s started targeting Americans in the middle east, including India so it wasn’t safe at the time unfortunately. We have been working on going back but right now just doesn’t work to take off from work and other responsibilities… But I’ll go someday soon. 🙂
Ah, thanks for correcting me, Devani!
That is unfortunate. Wow, so you haven’t back since you were three. Yup, don’t we all wish we can just drop our obligations and run away? 🙂
Devani, don’t be afraid of being 40. 40 is amazing! I started really questioning my life when I was 34, and I have never regretted it. The process is worth it. Keep going and 40 and beyond will be better than you could ever imagine!
Tammy that’s the attitude I want when I’m 40! I always wondered why I would see people (and esp., women) complaining about their age, when they were in their 30’s… I had a great aunt that lived till 104 and she was just fine till the last few months before her death… that’s what I want to be like… I want to live long and love living.
You’ll be just fine, Devani. I’m 36 and although I can’t say I’m as spry as I once was I find life is just as exciting now if not more so. How many women do you know around my age that take karate with their children. 🙂 I know at least 4 personally. I embrace every gray hair as medals I’ve earned. Aging is all in how you look at it.
Anastacia that’s great! My mom used to do martial arts with me and she’s worked in the health/fitness world for a while… she’s just like you (but in her 50’s) and still has a zeal for life that isn’t disappearing anytime soon! I love her and she’s one of my biggest inspirations and best friend.
She decided to stop Krav Maga (the martial arts I’m still doing) because she was busy with her business and such, but she still works our almost everyday!
That’s great that your mom did martial arts with you! It’s a lot of fun and good exercise. My family is currently practicing Shotokan Karate. I even participated last year when I was pregnant with my 6th child.
“I embrace every gray hair as medals I’ve earned. Aging is all in how you look at it.”
That is some quotable material right there, Anastacia! 🙂
That’s the spirit, Tammy! I’m pretty excited to see how much better 2030-Vincent is going to be. I’ll only be 35, but that means I’m up to a lot of crazy things! I like to think that when I’m older, I’d be very zen.
Zen in a completely crazy way lol 😀 *for me
Hi Vincent,
What an excellent idea and thanks for inviting us to participate!
Hiten in 2013 is working hard on becoming totally self-sufficient when it comes to his finances.
Hiten in 2030 will no longer be working for money and will have retired. He will be spending most of his free time with his kids and wife.
Thanks for this opportunity, Vincent!
Hi Hiten,
No problem, it is my pleasure to invite you all in.
Financial independence! The cure for that which plagues us all.
What are some of the steps you’re currently taking in 2013 to assure Hiten in 2030 can live that lifestyle?
Hi Vincent,
What an interesting post. Like Dan, I will be getting on a bit by 2030 – my main hope is to be happy, fulfilled, active and still doing the things that I enjoy – reading, writing and walking my dogs.
I have a good pension, but aim to be topping this up with some nice passive income from my online endeavours.
I hope I’ll still be learning and developing as a person.
Sue
Happiness is something we all hope for in the future, but I find most people don’t take steps to get themselves closer to this goal.
What are some of the things you’re doing to maintain or achieve happiness?
I can definitely see you keep yourself busy with (daily?) rituals. That’s a great way to maintain satisfaction in life.
That last point is golden. Always be learning and growing.
Thanks for contributing, Sue.
Ok, Vincent! I was going to simply say, “I want to be Trevor!” 🙂
I want to be someone who doesn’t second-guess my decisions. I am a quirky, upbeat person who is rather Pollyanna-ish. I want to be ok with that. I have lived quite a while apologizing for who I am. Now that I’m “out there” a little more – on blogs and such, I am finding more like-minded people who love life and like the challenges.
Thank you for forcing us to ask ourselves the tough questions and commit them to print. I am going to continue to be me but more so!
I think we all want to be like Trevor!
I’m going to write a new article next week and it’ll just be called “My Ideal Self.” Then it’ll redirect to Trevor’s About page. 🙂
Being okay with who we are is tough. Hell, I’m still trying to figure out how to do it. You’re right though, when you realize just how many people out there are like you, there’s a calmness to it. Then you can begin to work on accepting it because it’s okay.
That’s the right attitude!
erm … who’s trevor?
Trevor Wilson at http://www.acalltoaction.net/
Great stuff, brutally honest, and beautiful command of his voice.
Haha this gave me the giggles, he does indeed have some thought-provoking honest opinions!
Ah, Tammy, kind of took mine. LOL That’s okay. I’ll put it differently and then I won’t be copying. 😉
In 2030, I’ll be 53 if I did my math right. My current youngest child will be almost 18. I will probably be done having children by that point. Maybe.
Let’s see my 2013 self writes about the cute and funny things my children do. My 2030 self will be writing the cute and funny things my grandchildren are doing.
My 2013 self is trying to find the balance in my life but she’s finding that maybe it’s not so bad being a little scattered.
My 2030 self will be so used to riding the topsy turvy waves of life that she may take up surfing at 53. People will see the sun shining off her white hair and think it’s blonde.
My 2013 self is writing about the possibilities of the future. My 2030 self will be writing the joyous memories of the past.
Anastacia … My 2013 self at 18 is trying to find some balance … it’s so not easy …. estrogen, drama, and being a completely non-conforming young adult is a very interesting mix to deal with …
But balance … isn’t that what we all work so hard to find? I swear it’s like it’s purposely trying to elude us … 😉
Ah, Devani, I see you, Vincent, and I are “kindred spirits” to quote Anne of Green Gables. 🙂
You did it! Very original vision for yourself.
Oh wow! I addressed this in my last week’s article, but my current mindset = no kids. The responsibility, the mental willpower, the tortuuuure!! That’s 2013-Vincent talking. 🙂
Whoa, that’s pretty cool! Being able to talk in the present about how you’re writing about your kids then jump to the future where you’d be writing about your grandkids must be mind-blowing for you.
Being scattered is not bad, trust me! I live for scatter!
Don’t forget to write about the present as well. It is just as important as both the future and the past.
This is true. I guess writing about my kids is writing about my present. And my writing about my present self writing about my future self could be considered writing about about both present and future. LOL That’s probably confusing enough. 😀
See, if this were a conversation about Doctor Who, this is where I would simply reply “Wibbly wobbly, timey wimey.”
Vincent, this really does make one think, doesn’t it? By the mid-60s, people pretty well figure they’ve reached their capacity of self-development; but not so. I’d like to be the kind of person who is truly interested in everyone I meet. I want them to sense my sincerity and feel comfortable in my presence. I want others to know I care about them and see their value.
Soon my husband will be retiring, and we’ll be moving back north. I was raised on a Native American reservation, and that’s where we’ll return. Rather than our culture preparing young people for the future, it chains them to the past.
Once we settle, I look forward to becoming involved in our community. I’m praying that my experience as a former teacher can be utilized, somehow. Every year that I live, I want to expand
Your statement about the mid-60s is true. We romanticize the future as this sudden self-transcendental power that will bring us wisdom beyond all our years. All we have to do is age to get there. We both know better than that.
I’m confident that your previous teaching experiences can translate very well into giving to the community. 🙂
Vincent, in 2030 I will be a richer in my mind, body and spirit. I will continue to fulfil my passion to encourage, motivate, challenge and inspire others to reach for and live their best lives. I will be financially successful and continue to add to giving back to children- the future of our tomorrow. Continual thankfulness,unselfishness, laughter, giving without expecting anything in return and love will be my ultimate satisfaction.
Great stuff, Diane! What are the things you’re doing today to get yourself closer to those goals?
I plan to be pursuing my passion for writing, design, and travel without being tied down by a 9 to 5 job. By that time, I want to be doing something with a purpose, and maybe help others find theirs as well.
Julien, you’ve got the writing part down. 🙂 Are you currently practicing design?
I think you can make anything purposeful. As long as it isn’t something that is draining you without giving you satisfaction in return.
Maybe you can be a life coach!
No, I have absolutely no background in design, but I’m very keen on it. I want to combine it with writing to make content more inspiring =)
Well, I wish you the best of luck, Julien! 🙂
In 2030, I’ll be around 40. Right now I can imagine my life at that time being one way, but I have no idea if that is really what I want my life to be like. I’m amazed at the numerous changes my values and way of thinking about life have changed in the past five years and I can’t imagine what I will think like then.
All I know is that I want to live my life to the fullest extent, live mindfully, respect and provide a healthy state for my body and mind, and embrace a lifestyle of minimalism. I also want to be confident enough in myself to bring joy to other people as often as I can and in doing so I know it will bring me happiness
Although I love working with kids, I’ve always wanted to work for myself and have the freedom to set my own schedule with the ability to do things that improve the lives of myself and others…we’ll see though!
Thanks for asking me to think more deeply about my life. That’s something I want to do more often.
That is what makes it fun! The unknown allows you to envision your ideal self. Once you have that down, you can start working on becoming that person today.
All great goals, Alexandra and they are all possible to achieve within the next YEAR. A great book on Mindfulness is Thich Nhat Hanh’s “The Miracle of Mindfulness.”
I want to work for myself too. The idea of working for yourself on your own schedule (somewhat) is just… It’s the dream!
No problem! Thanks for joining the discussion. All of your goals are within your reach. 🙂
I’ve actually already read that book and it definitely helped to inspire me.
Do you have any other recommendations for Mindfulness? That is the only book I’ve read on the subject, aside from the occasional article overview.
I haven’t really read other ones either, but on iTunes there is a great podcast called Zencast, which is where most of my information on it has come from. They have a great series on mindfulness meditation too…if you’re into that sort of thing.
I’ll be 53 in the year 2030…and I hope just like today that won’t be thinking about retirement. I love my work, and hope to be doing it well beyond the typical retirement age. I hope I’ll still be doing work I love – preferably for myself.
Tom, I just got your postcard! I was pretty surprised and really appreciate the time you took to send it out to me.
Who says you have to retire? You can work forever as long as you love what you do!
For example, there are two people who work at the college I’m attending. They’re both set, financially speaking, for retirement. However, they’ve been at the school and running all sorts of programs (award-winning programs) because they love students and connecting with academic scholars. They’re truly inspiring people and they enjoy their work. I want that flame! 🙂
I could write a mini book about this but the short answer includes: writing and speaking full time while being able to spend the rest of my time with family and close friends.
Interesting, Dan! Do you think you’d still volunteer a lot of your time teaching leadership in 2030, or would that tie into your speaking?
Besides making my living writing and speaking I think I would still volunteer time to teach others about leadership. Helping others is part of my care values.
I was about to answer this question and then I started asking myself what would my 1996-self have written to my present-self? There definitely would have been tons of aspirations, a few I’ve actually done, but mostly I’ve changed so much I couldn’t have predicted the path I took. I occasionally ruminate about what could have been, if I’d been more disciplined in some things or pursued other ones. But ultimately I always come back to the fact that I love where I am now, in this moment. Anything I would have done differently could have lead to a radically different present.
So for my 2030-self, and every self in between, I would simply ask him to be present. To participate fully in every moment and let the journey take him where it does. I’d tell him to drop the regrets. Simply be. If he could stick that I think he’ll turn out just fine.
That’s a very unique way of approaching the question, Jeff! Congratulations on being the first.
It’s no use looking back at it with regret because that perspective never accomplishes anything. The acceptance of the past and gratitude for how everything happened the way they did is how I go about it. You’re right though, there is that whole butterfly effect.
Thanks for sharing, Jeff!
Vincent, in 2030 I will be 72 years old. It’s hard to think of it. We never in our lives really believe we will someday be old. Will I be useless and in the way? Or will I be vital and alive and still learning new things every day. In my wildest dreams, I will be living in Rwanda, writing and traveling. And my children will be living the kinds of lives they dream of living, that would make me so happy. What a wonderful discussion you started!
Kathleen, those don’t have to be just dreams! I don’t know the intricacies of your life or if there is anything holding you back, but I don’t doubt that there are small actions you can take each day to work yourself towards living in Rwanda while you write and continue to travel. 🙂 After all, you’ve got your own site already so that’s one part of your dream!
You can make it a conscious effort to learn new things every day. There is just so much information and so many things to do out there. So much so that I am willing to bet that if you try, you’ll learn.
Kathleen, I’ll be 60, so I’m closer to your age than most here. I’m looking forward to watching my children live their dreams, as I go on to do all the things that I’ll be free to do without mommy duty, but right now I’m loving moomy duty and trying to be present and enjoy every minute of it.
Vincent, Love your blog and the great community you have here. I once wrote a letter from me 80 year old self to myself now. She told me not to worry, the next decades are going to be awesome and we have a ton of fun, connect with wonderful people and experience more life moments to treasure than I can imagine. It’s an interesting idea to send one back to the future, so she knows who I want to be then. 🙂
Very interesting idea, Michelle! All this time-traveling is making my head hurt. 🙂
Glad to have you here and hope I see you around here more often!
Vincent, great conversation here! Wow, I can’t believe I will be 50 in the year 2030. That sounds bizarre.
My plan is to celebrate 28 years of marriage, hopefully be a father raising a child or two. I want to be thought of as a strong in my faith, offering wisdom through writing. I’m able to be a stronger mentor to others. I have developed friendships all over the globe, as well as have explored the vast reaches of the world. I’m able to spend more time volunteering because I’m making passive income from many sources.
Hey Chris, good to see you again.
Great list you’ve got there for Future-Chris! You’re already writing with wisdom, so you don’t have to worry about that part. 🙂
As for being a mentor, I can see that also tying into your writing because a mentor can really be anyone. It doesn’t have to be a one-on-one session while two people sit down to talk. As long as your readers connect with you and feel like you’re teaching them something valuable, you are their mentor.
I’m not sure if I’m much of a traveler myself. That has come up a lot in today’s discussion!
Same for passive income. Let’s get started on passive income number one! Start writing an eBook. 🙂
Thanks for your kind words about my writing!
I used to be more of a home-body myself, but I changed a bit over the years. I now crave seeing new environments and having fresh experiences.
Another friend of mind keeps encouraging me to write an ebook, so I guess I really need to get going!
Let me know how the progress with the ebook goes. I’d love a copy. 🙂
I’m actually working on an eBook very soon for Self Stairway. You’ll need to be on the email list to receive a copy and updates on its progress though, so hopefully you’re already on the list, Chris!
I will keep you posted. I usually recieve updates through RSS, but I may have to make an exception. 🙂
I don’t really have any solid goals for 30 years from now but I know I would still like to be active and interested in life, and still learning and trying new things. I would like to be happy and healthy and still going to the gym. My worst nightmare would be to give up.
Sorry, I mean 2030, not 30 years from now!
What makes you happy, Jon?
Being healthy and having interesting things happen in my life with business and friends and family. I don’t like things staying the same too much – change is good!
Good answer!
Fascinating topic!
Now-I’m living out one of my dreams. Dreams are not perfect for they require upkeep, modifications and bigger dreams to keep them alive.
Future-I have learned from my dreams and walk along side others as they envision their dreams into reality.
Jennifer, what’s your dream? I’m curious now. 🙂 Is it either homeschooling or writing?
Howdy Vincent-Homeschooling was the dream. This was our first year and it has been wonderful!! I have always liked to write, but never did anything with it. With homeschooling I started a blog for “schedule sanity” and the next thing I know, I’m writing. Sorta cool when one dream acted upon leads to another.
I know the feeling, Jennifer! I’m glad that you’ve been enjoying your first year. That’s a unique dream! 🙂
Hey Vincent!
I love the site and I love this discussion…
In 10 years time I’d love to be making a full-time living through my online business and coaching / mentoring others on business, performance and success.
All while raising a few young kids and looking after them 🙂 Couldn’t ask for much more!
Brendan
Hey, Brendan! Nice to see you here.
That sounds like a great plan for ten years from now! You already have an awesome site so I’m sure having it drive business for you won’t be too difficult. 🙂
Good luck with your plans!
Loving the post Vincent 🙂
It’s interesting how many of us have the same mindset when it comes to future plans.
We’re all naturally ambitious and expect great things from ourselves moving forward.
I actually posted a status message on my personal facebook profile not too long ago listing everthing i hope to achieve by the time i’m 50 lol
In brief, I hope to have 4 successful business, speak 5 languages, happily married with kids and very well traveled.
I’m sure we’ll all get to where we’ll be in time… There really are no secrets. Just plain old fashioned hard work!
Hi, Onder!
It is interesting indeed! It’s funny because not many of my friends are like this. So it really cool that I can connect with ambitious, personal development-oriented people here.
I wouldn’t mind if you post the entire status message here, Onder! Then again, it may be 5,000 words and we’ll end up having to scroll a looong time before we get down here again.
Whoa, that is VERY ambitious. I love it. What are your businesses going to be and which languages?
Oh man, what would I say to my future self in 2030? That’s such a long time away, but I guess I could come up with a few things. First off, I want to remain happily married to my wife. That’s a biggie. So far, so good on that front.
I think I want to continue traveling. By 2030, I should have gone to a lot of places. At the rate I’m going at now, I’ll have seen a large chunk of the world. Wow, jut thinking about all the places I’ll see is getting me excited.
I’m also going to continue writing. When I get to my future-self, I want to be a much more accomplished writer. I’ll have finished a couple of books.
Dude, what do you mean you think you’re going to want to continue traveling? That sort of passion doesn’t just die, Steve! Maybe further into the future we can both travel together. I’ve only been to around four U.S. states in total and never outside of the country as a whole, but I’m okay with that for now.
Oh yeah, writing doesn’t just die either. We’ll both be accomplished writers with several Best Sellers to our name. 🙂
Huhm, in 2030 I’ll be 55 years old. I want to be the most fit and sexy 55 year old in town! LOL Really though, I do want to be healthy and fit but more importantly I hope to have made a difference in the life of someone along the way. I want people to know my name and remember me as that someone in their life that made a difference. I want my children to love me because I am their mother but also because they enjoy me as a person. I want my husband to still adore me as much as he does today. I hope to have done something bigger than myself by then…think growing passive income and such. I want this for myself purely as self gratification that I could have sat around being the doctors wife and not done a damn thing but instead I had a passion in me to do more. I also want this for my husband and my family so that we will have a more stable and comfortable future. And one last thing – I want to be able to say I met P!nk! HA
I found your post through the problogger Discussion Post contest. I am participating too.
Woo! Now that is an AWESOME goal! 🙂
Oh without a doubt you would have influenced a ton of people by 2030.
“I want my children to love me because I am their mother but also because they enjoy me as a person.”
That is an interesting statement right there! There is always that “obligatory” love because of relations, but to genuinely enjoy a parent as a person is a good way to look at it.
All great goals, Tammy and thanks for sharing! Best of luck with meeting P!ink and the discussion contest!
Wassup Vincent!
In 2030 I hope to be either in an entirely different country OR living off residual income somewhere nice with a family.
I want to be able to teach my children what I’ve learnt, see them grow, see myself grow, and see others grow. I also want to have met some of my mentors!
Hey, Sam! Sorry I couldn’t make it today. I literally JUST finished everything up with the podcast.
With a random family? Living life on the edge, buddy!
Great plans for the future. Thanks for sharing!
Having a family, wife, kids, etc. Not just a random family! Though that’d be pretty cool also
This is a great topic. Thanks for putting this together. In 2030, wondering what people think of my writing, goals, dreams and ideas will long since be a thing of the past!
Without a doubt, by 2030 your writing will improve more and more if you keep at it. You won’t have to worry about what others think because you’ll only be getting better. 🙂
Hi Vincent,
Great idea!
I loved your letter and soon’ll be writing for my future shadow.
In 2030 I’ll be 57, I want see myself happier without any regrets, busy and independent. I want keep up my writing and inspiring more and more lives for good.
Hi, Rohit! Those all sound like great goals for 2030-Rohit. Maybe in the future you’ll change your mindset and find that less business is better. You never know! 🙂 I’m sort of the same way though. I prefer to stay busy with temporal bouts of relaxation.
I subscribed to your RSS feed because your site looks very interesting! I’ll be checking out more of it when I can. Good luck!
17 years, wow.It’s a humbling time-scale, but wildly inspiring.
Talking about inspiration, it’s something I aspire to foster in others. By all means become a better version of who I already am, but I think helping other become better versions of who they are tops that. Perks may come along with that such as wealth and other statuses, but that’s nothing compared to the feeling of giving.
I don’t really want to mention anything material, for the rate of change with technology I think will only increase. Oh, but going to Mars once would be pretty epic!
Great idea Vincent, and definitely thought-provoking!
Since we’re both only halfway there, it’s going to be crazy to jump that far. That sounds like you could be a life coach or a public speaker. That’d be really cool, Nick! How are your public speaking skills right now?
I just realized that no one in this discussion has really brought up the idea of material possessions. I find that fascinating because it shows we all value the non-material. 🙂
Thanks for your comment, Nick.
Aha indeed it is! Public speaking is something I’d definitely like to do, and if all goes well I think I’ll have a heck of a lot of it lined up after summer, but we’ll see. Right now, I can only guess that I’m ‘okay’ but that may be naive!
And how about you? Is public speaking something you’d get involved in, or would you stick to the coaching side?
It’s definitely fun but I’m nowhere near the level of expertise to do it professionally.
I’ll be a young 40 years in 2030. I’d like to be financially independent, doing something I love. Perhaps I’ll own a wealth management firm, or teach finance at a university. Most of all, I want to be a loving husband, father, and friend who inspires change in others.
Those are some great goals, Jacob! Thanks for stopping by to share your vision.
I am 66. So if someone asked me what I would like to be in 2030, I would tell them that I would want to be Alive. And since this year (2013) is the emergence of the 17-year-cycle of cicadas (which will return in 2030), I would like to be in the woods listening to them when they return in 2030. I grew up in the Ozarks and I loved listening to the millions of those insects in the trees in our neighborhood and in the nearby woods on warm summer evenings. So in 2030 you will find me (for at least a week) in a little camper vehicle camped deep into a wooded area in the Ozarks again… listening, sleeping, exploring. For one week in 2013, I will be a cicada-listening naturalist.
That leaves 51 more weeks when I can be 51 different things. Each of us have different things that excite us (and I know that “listening to insects in the woods” may not excite many of Vincent’s readers). So I will only list 5 more things that I will be in 2030:
I will be a student. I will be back in Rolla, Missouri, taking a summer class of some sort. I loved going to college in a small town… living in a fraternity with lots of other students… staying up until 2am talking about life. I will do that again.
I will be a storm watcher. I will park my little camper in the path of a river of spring storms and listen to the rain and the thunder and (hopefully) some hail crashing onto the roof of my camper.
I will be an astronomer. I will find the one place in the USA that has the darkest skies and spend a week sleeping in a little invisible tent, watching the dark sky and millions of stars. I have a tent with black netting that keeps out the bugs while providing a clear view of the sky.
I will be a biographer (on a small scale). I will interview new people as I travel. I will be a better person by learning from others.
I will be in love with someone. Hopefully it will be with someone who loves me back. That gives me 16 years to find that person.
That leaves 46 more weeks to be a variety of other things (cruise ship instructor, mountain climber, white water canoeist…). But the important thing about this exercise is knowing that I don’t have to wait 17 years to be all of these things. I am making plans this year and I will begin “being” 52 different things in 2014.
Interesting, I did not know about the cicadas and I did a google search for them. I went through an article discussing what they were and the importance of the 17-year cycle. Very fascinating stuff! Too bad that’s East side.
Ah, always a student, Bob! 🙂
Those are five amazing things. I really hope they even exceed your expectations of them! You are very right. There is no rule here that says you have to wait. Get out there and be that 2014-Bob who is student-biographer, star watcher, mountain climber!
Father/Husband/Son of the Year, Philanthropist, Writer, Speaker, Seasoned Traveler. Simply, a Positive Force in the World.
Great goals and thanks to you, this discussion has reached triple digits comments!
Vincent, just found your blog. Great stuff.
In 2030, I want to own a church consulting business, be a national public speaker, and be a published author several times over. I want to have a debt-free house, a nice emergency fund in the bank, and in planning mode for a month long vacation to celebrate my 20-year anniversary with my wife.
That sounds like a great start.
Glad you made your way here somehow, Larry!
Those sound like amazing plans and I wish you the best to getting there!
Wow! I will be 39 years old…
By then, I will probably be married with two kids (Little Zara and Ian :)).
Writing how-to books and novels, traveling the world with my family and building a community that helps others to be successful.
Oh! And stop cursing while driving (I need to work on my temper).
2030 is still a long ways to go. 🙂
Awesome, awesome goals and best of luck! Would love to be reading one of your novels.
As for the cursing? I don’t know about that. 😛
This is plain awesome, expect a post like this from me soon, if and when I get my blog up.
I like present-Vincent a lot, I hope all the money he’ll be making won’t change him too much 😉
You will get that blog up. Send me the link as soon as it is. 🙂