Get Rid of Anxiety about the Future

Ever wish you could go back in time and tell yourself a piece of advice that could save you from heartache and pain? Consider this a message from Future You with a few tips to make sure you’re ok in the future.

Dear Present Me,
Please listen! I need your help or things go terribly wrong for us in the future.
There's a magical thing called "compound interest". It doesn't need much money to get started but it needs a lot of TIME. Please, open an account for me ASAP and put a few dollars into it each week. Don't touch it - I really need it.
I know it may be tempting to borrow just a little from me from time to time but the effects are much larger here. Every time you borrow - even a few hundred dollars, even if you pay it bak later - it costs me thousands. Suddenly, my car disappears and I have to catch the bus. I'll only be able to afford clothes second-hand soon. I'm already living with a friend to split the rent because we didn't prepare earlier. This is not the life we dreamed.
But, you can change all of this. You can plan for it. Save a little regularly and don't touch it - that's all I ask. You're my only hope.
See you soon, Future You.

Did you know that cultures without a future tense in their language are better savers? That’s because they are more connected to their future selves. They don’t say, “I will sort it out”. They say, “I sort it out”. They’re more inclined to take action in the present with matters of their future.

Try it out. With financial matters regarding your future self, make them relevant now by ditching the future tense. I ~~will~~ save for my future self.

Here are some practical tips to protect Future You:

Consider Future You. What life do you want for them? How much will this cost them?
Open Future You an account of their own that Present You can’t touch. Pay them regularly.
Make the payment affordable Long Term.
Hide or Lock the account and set the payment up automatically
If temptation arises and it’s literally not life or death, make other plans to save – this is not your money. You will be robbing Future You! A little now is a lot later.
Imagine all of your deposits are double but you have to serve the time to get it.
Work out how much Future You will have and name the account this much, eg “Future You $345,897”
Treat it like a time-capsule. Set a deadline for when this money can be used. Eg, 60th Birthday

Published by hanfitz.creates

I'm Hannah, a business coach for creative professionals. The world needs creativity and innovation: this is how we progress as humans. But, the creative journey is paved with challenges: we're told the story of the starving artist since we're children, our brain is hard wired to resist anything new (like creative ideas), we doubt our ability and worthiness to succeed and we crush our ingenuity with judgement and comparison. Yet, we know our purpose is to create. I help visual artists, designers and illustrators bridge this gap with my uniquely curated knowledge and experience of graphic design, finance, human behaviour and neuroscience. You have invested time and resources into their technical skill; now, it's time to invest in your mindset and strategy. After working with me, you can confidently communicate the value of your work, attract clients and charge what you're worth through multiple income streams. This frees up more time and energy to do what you're best at: create. View more posts