Your Future Self
Why you're going to change and what to do about it
👋Hello, my friend - I’ve got a jam-packed issue for you today. So let’s get right to it. Here’s what we’re covering:
The latest episode of the podcast - featuring UCLA’s Dr. Hal Hershfield
Some deep (and hopefully practical) thoughts on past and future identities from yours truly
What I think are some excellent additions to your Content Diet
Let’s do it.
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Ep.23 - Hal Hershfield - Connecting with Your Future Self
Dr. Hal Hershfield is a Professor of Marketing, Behavioral Decision Making and Psychology at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. He focuses his research at the intersection of psychology and economics; and his work has been published in the New York Times, Harvard Business Review, and Wall Street Journal, among others.
Dr. Hershfield is the author of a new book titled Your Future Self - How to Make Tomorrow Better Today, which he and I discuss in detail in this conversation.
In the book, Dr. Hershfield explores deep questions on identity, like:
Are we the same person throughout our entire lives?
How can we connect more with our future self?
And how might such an improved connection lead to improved behavior today when it comes to things like our fitness, nutrition and finances?
Here’s a taste of what we covered in the conversation:
(08:17) - Are we the same person for our entire lives?
(17:27) - How one of your 5 key personal traits will change in the next 10 years
(18:41) - Why the closeness you feel with your future self matters... A LOT!
(25:05) - The "end of history" illusion or why you're not "fully baked" even though it feels that way
(29:49) - Writing a letter to (and from) your future self
(40:42) - How to use commitment devices to encourage behavioral change
(47:52) - Better parenting by being more present (with the help of a "K-Safe")
As always… if you get a chance to listen, I’d love to hear what you think.
Connecting with your Future Self
My conversation with Dr. Hershfield really got me thinking about my own identity. Am I the same person I was… let’s say… at 21? At first glance, I guess the answer is yes. Technically, I’m still Greg Campion. Just older.
But the theory that Dr. Hershfield proposes is that we change so much over time that you can arguably make a case that, in fact, you are a completely different person. Or, at least a collection of different people, over time.
At 21, I was pretty much only interested in drinking, partying, and maybe finding a way to get a high-paying job once I graduated college. At 45, I’ve become dramatically more introverted. So much so that when I tell my neighborhood friends (most of whom I didn’t meet until I was in my late-30s) about what I was like in high school and college, it’s really hard for them to imagine. I don’t drink today. I strongly prefer 1on1 conversations vs. being the center of attention in a large group, and I greatly value things like time alone - writing and thinking.
My 21-year-old self would probably throw up a little in his mouth if he read that last paragraph… if he wasn’t already throwing up from a big night of putting away too many Natty Light’s.
So am I a different person? Since reading Dr. Hershfield’s book, for the first time, I’m actually thinking: Yes, I am a completely different person now. Which is kind of a crazy concept.
Now, here’s the funny part. At 45, I’m sitting here thinking “I’ve now become myself” - whatever that means. Or in other words, now that I’ve reached “maturity” I probably shouldn’t expect much more change. This, according to Dr. Hershfield, is an illusion. It’s called the End of History Illusion (here’s a clip where he explains it). It’s the idea that we mistakenly view today as the “end of history” and that we have now reached the final version of ourselves.
Reality, it turns out, is quite different. In fact, the research shows that a person is as likely to change as much from let’s say 45 to 55 as they did from 25 to 35, or 35 to 45. In fact, as Dr. Hershfield explained in our conversation, over any given 10-year time period you can expect at least one of your 5 key personality traits to change dramatically! Those traits, if you’re wondering, are: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, & Neuroticism. Think of yourself from 10 years ago. Have any of those changed dramatically? I think more than one of them have changed for me.
There is a little bit of sadness or nostalgia in all of this. And I think the viral tweet below sums it up better than I can.
That idea can get me crying pretty quickly if I think about this moment in time for my kids especially. They change so quickly that even if you’re away from them for a couple of days, you can notice that they are now different versions of themselves.
Ironically, all of this talk about the past and future can make you appreciate the present even more. To savor it. To try to stop worrying and stressing so much.
As I do with all of my podcast guests, I try to get to the core of their ideas and translate them into actionable strategies for my listeners and readers.
The one big takeaway I got from Dr. Hershfield is that when we more closely identify with our future selves, we make better choices in the present. The trick is figuring out how to make the future version of ourselves more tangible as opposed to some vague concept that is way off in the distance.
Dr. Hershfield has a number of tactics for achieving this including using apps like Face App or Snapchat to literally see what your future self might look like. That explains the creepy picture at the top of this newsletter, by the way. He also took this idea to an extreme — he had himself made up to look 30+ years older by a team of Hollywood make-up artists. But one that may be more accessible for you and me is this:
Write a letter to your future self. Explain your problems, your worries, your aspirations.
And then… write a letter back FROM your future self to your present self. Explain what worked out. What didn’t. Maybe why those worries of today aren’t that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things.
It’s an interesting exercise to go through. I’ve started experimenting with it and I’m enjoying it so far. For those of you who know Alex Hormozi, he discussed a very similar practice he has recently instituted whereby he writes “chats” back and forth with his 85-year-old self. (See link below to that conversation).
Identity is a weird thing. And once you layer time on top of it, it becomes even harder to grapple with. But in some ways, embracing the concept that you’re a completely different person today than you were in the past, and that you can become a completely different person again and again, is freeing. It gives you permission to disassociate yourself from past choices, actions or circumstances.
It’s pretty cool to think that we’ve still got a clean slate to become whoever it is we want to become in the future. My present and future selves are going to really embrace that idea.
Content Diet
TV show: Jury Duty - Amazon Prime Video
When do I ever recommend TV shows? Never! That’s why you should pay attention to this recommendation. This might be the funniest show I’ve seen since The Office. The premise and really the entire series is absolutely hilarious. I’m not going to ruin it for you. Just go watch it. Thank me later.
Podcast: Alex Hormozi & Danny Miranda
I don’t really know how to describe Hormozi other than he’s a former gym owner who became an incredibly savvy businessman, entrepreneur, author and now guru to millions on all things entrepreneurship. Anyhow, it’s in this conversation where he talks about this idea of writing to and from his 85-year-old self.
Podcast: David Senra on Michael Jordan’s life
If you haven’t yet heard Founders podcast with David Senra, you’re missing out. Here’s the premise: He dives deep into the biographies of well-known people who’ve succeeded across all areas of life, people like: Warren Buffett, Tiger Woods, Bill Gates, Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie and more than 300 others. Then, in a one-man, monologue-style show, he breaks down the most interesting parts of those people’s lives—and importantly, the key transferrable lessons that those people learned along the way. The episode on Jordan was fantastic.
Podcast: Jeremy Giffon with Patrick O’Shaughnessy
I had at least 10 people in my Twitter feed recommending this one, which is usually a pretty good signal. It proved correct. Ostensibly, this is an interview about private markets investing. In reality, it’s an interview on decision-making in life (and business), going against the herd, and finding value where others aren’t looking. I came away incredibly impressed with Giffon’s clarity of thinking. If it’s any indication, I think I’m going back in for a second listen on this one.
Finally, check out the full YouTube version of my conversation with Hal Hershfield.
And lastly… don’t forget to go to AthleticBrewing.com to get 15% off your first order with code: WISDOM. If you want to support me and the podcast, a great way to do it is by supporting my sponsors.
Thanks so much - and see you in two weeks!
Greg