Your future self will wonder what you were thinking

For most of us, we can look back at ourselves from 10 years ago and think “wow, I had no idea what I was doing”. It’s uncomfortable to appreciate, but it stands to reason that in 10 years we’ll look back at ourselves today and think the same thing.

In his book “Clear Thinking“, Shane Parrish says it like this:

We have a limited perspective. It is very hard to understand a system that we are a part of. Just as you look back on your sixteen-year-old self and wonder what you were thinking, your future self will look back on your current self and think the same thing. Your present self is blind to the perspective of your future self.

We know that today we’re better than we were at 16. Most of us are more patient, empathetic, financially sound, wise, and we’re simply a better person than we were back then.

This blog is intended to make me into a better person, so it stands to reason that in a decade I’ll have improved myself and I’ll look back to 2024 and wonder what was going through my mind. Even though I’m intentionally trying to become better, it’s still strange to think how little I know today compared to future me.

Perspective can be a great thing, and this is one worth keeping in mind.