Imagine your best possible self

Become more optimistic by writing about your future

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is to imagine your best possible self. Write
about your ideal vision for your life at some specific
point in the future, and you'll start seeing practical ways

(00:26):
to get there. Today's tip, like several others this week,
comes from Sonya Lubamerski's book The How of Happiness, A
Scientific Approach to Getting the Life you Want. Luba Mirsky
provides several exercises like this Best Possible Selves diary that
are designed to boost optimism, which in turn boosts happiness.

(00:49):
Here's why optimism boosts happiness. First, Luba Mirsky says, if
you're optimistic about the future, for example, you're confident that
you'll be able to achieve your lifelong goals, you will
invest effort in reaching those goals. You will be more
persistent when you face setbacks. Second, Luba Mirski writes, optimistic

(01:09):
people are good copers even at the worst of times.
They don't deny the situation, but are likely to accept
the reality of their condition and make efforts to make
the best of it and even grow from it. If
optimism seems a little out of place to you at
the moment, you might be interested to know that Luba
Mirsky distinguishes between flavors of this mindset. There is big optimism,

(01:33):
in which you think we are on the threshold of
a glorious age. There is little optimism, which means believing
your train will arrive on time, and then so called
very small optimism, which is just the feeling that you
will make it through this day, this month, this year,
that there may be ups and downs, but that everything

(01:53):
will turn out all right in the end. If big
optimism rings hollow to you at the moment, very small
optimism may feel more fitting. You can look around after
dinner and see that you have survived another day, so
probably you will survive tomorrow too. So how does imagining
our best possible selves contribute to optimism? Luba Mirski explains

(02:16):
that when people write about their best possible selves, they
recognize that it is in their power to transform themselves
and to work toward valued goals. When we author our
own narratives, we recognize that we can author our own
lives too, and the writing part turns out to matter.
We see in specific terms how the story might unfold.

(02:37):
Luba Mirski writes, because writing is highly structured, systematic, and
rule bound, it prompts you to organize, integrate, and analyze
your thoughts in a way that would be difficult, if
not impossible, to do if you were just fantasizing one
my realize. She suggests, I now see a way to
make my dream come true. So if you find yourself

(03:01):
looking longingly to the future, pick up a pen or
open your laptop and start writing. Describe your best possible self.
Maybe on the first day you go back to your office,
or the first day your kids go back to school,
or on some specific date, say January first, twenty twenty one,

(03:21):
or your birthday in twenty twenty five, or another day
of significance to you. What will your life be like?
Write about what's happening in your family, at work, with
your volunteer commitments. Are you engaged in fitness or artistic pursuits?
What professional milestones have you hit? Does your home or

(03:43):
yard or closet look different than it does now? Do
you speak Spanish? Do you meditate daily? Take twenty minutes
and describe the best possible self you see. Then, over
the next few weeks, re read what you've written and
write more. You may find that envisioning your best possible

(04:04):
self brings it closer to reality as you take steps
today to become that self in the future. In the meantime,
this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making
the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to

(04:26):
hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,
or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook
and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod that's B the number four,
then Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me
an email at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media

(04:47):
dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all
the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward to staying
in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio.
For more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the i
heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to

(05:08):
your favorite shows. H