THE FUTURE SELF EXERCISE: Your Strategic Brief for 2026

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STEP 1: CLEAR THE SPACE

Time: Block 3 hours. Seriously. Not "I'll squeeze this in" — proper space.

Environment: Somewhere you actually want to be. For me, it's a long brunch. Solo. Good coffee. No rushing. Find your version.

Why this matters: Your brain knows when you're giving something real attention versus performing productivity. This isn't a task to tick off. It's strategic thinking. Treat it accordingly.

Turn off: Phone notifications. Laptop if you can. This works best handwritten. Something about the slower pace lets deeper thinking surface.

STEP 2: SET THE DATE

Pick your future point. For this exercise: December 2026.

Why December? It's far enough to be expansive. Close enough to feel real. And there's something powerful about ending the year looking back on what you created.

Now here's the most important part:

You're not writing goals. You're writing memories.

Not: "I want to..."
Not: "I hope to..."
Not: "My goal is..."

Write as if December 2026 you is looking back on the year that just happened.

Start exactly here: "It's December 2026 and I cannot believe the year I've had. First..."

And then just... write.

STEP 3: WRITE ACROSS THESE AREAS

Don't overthink the structure. These are just guardrails to make sure you're thinking holistically, not just about work.

RELATIONSHIPS

Partner, family, friendships, community.

What do these feel like in December 2026? Not what they look like—what they feel like.

• How are you showing up in your closest relationships?

• What's changed about how you connect?

• What new relationships have become important?

• How does your community nourish you?

BUSINESS / WORK / PURPOSE

What are you genuinely yearning for? (Not what sounds impressive. What's true.)

• What work lights you up?

• What recognition have you received that matters to you?

• What impact have you had?

• What does success actually feel like?

• Who are you working with?

• What's your rhythm?

HEALTH

What does "well" actually look like for you?

• What does your body feel like?

• What daily practices have stuck?

• What did you finally prioritize?

• What stopped depleting you?

PLAY

Wildly undervalued. For me, play elevates everything else.

• What are you doing for pure joy?

• What creative pursuits have you made space for?

• What adventures have you had?

• How are you having fun?

GROWTH (The Wildcard)

Where might growth come from that doesn't fit neatly into a box?

STEP 4: GO SPECIFIC

This is where most people dilute the power.

They write: "My business is thriving."

Your brain goes: Cool. What does that mean?

Be embarrassingly specific. Give your brain actual data.

Instead of: "My business is thriving" Write: "I closed the year with 20 premium clients at $15K each. My waitlist is 3 months out. I spoke at 8 conferences. My LinkedIn following hit 25K."

Instead of: "I'm healthier" Write: "I'm lifting twice a week. My back pain is gone. I have energy at 4pm. I sleep through the night."

Instead of: "My relationships are better" Write: "My husband and I had 6 weekends away together. I hosted 4 dinner parties. I'm present for my kids and their school and life moments."

The specificity is what activates your filtering system.

Numbers. Names. Feelings. Scenes. Details.

This isn't about being rigid. It's about being clear.

STEP 5: WRITE PAST THE RESISTANCE

Around the 45-minute mark, you'll hit a wall.

Your brain will say: "This is silly."
Or: "This will never happen."
Or: "Who am I kidding?"

That's your scared self talking. Keep writing.

The best stuff comes after you push through the "realistic" ceiling.

Let yourself write the outlandish version. The version that makes you feel slightly nervous. The version that whispers "...could I actually?"

If it doesn't scare you a little, you're thinking too small.

STEP 6: READ IT BACK

When you're done, read it out loud to yourself.

Notice what lands. Notice what lights you up. Notice what makes you go "oh... yeah. That."

Those are the signals.

Also notice what feels flat or performative. Cross it out. This isn't about what sounds good. It's about what's true.

STEP 7: PUT IT SOMEWHERE YOU'LL ACTUALLY SEE IT

Don't shove this in a drawer.

• Take a photo and save it as your phone wallpaper

• Transcribe key lines into your journal

• Set a monthly reminder to re-read it

• Pin it above your desk

The power isn't in writing it once. It's in sustained orientation.

Every time you re-read it, your brain recalibrates. Decisions get easier. Priorities get clearer. What matters comes into sharper focus.

COMMON PITFALLS

❌ "I'll just think about it instead of writing it down."
Nope. Writing activates different neural pathways. Thinking stays fuzzy. Writing makes it concrete.

❌ "I don't want to be disappointed if it doesn't happen."
This isn't a contract with the universe. It's strategic direction. The point isn't perfection—it's momentum.

❌ "I'll do this when I have clarity."
You get clarity BY doing this. Not before.

❌ "I'll make it realistic."
Realistic is where dreams go to die. Write the version that energizes you.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

You won't suddenly manifest everything overnight.

But you will notice:

✅ Clearer decisions
✅ Less dithering
✅ More confident nos
✅ Opportunities you would have missed
✅ Synchronicities that feel borderline spooky
✅ Momentum where there used to be friction

Because your brain finally has a clear brief.

And when direction is explicit, momentum follows.

A FINAL NOTE

This exercise is powerful.

But sustaining the clarity? That's where most people need support.

Because old identity creeps back in. Familiar patterns resume. The signal gets noisy again.

Clarity isn't a one-off moment. It's strategic architecture.

That's the work I do with founders—building the positioning and systems that make the future you wrote inevitable, not accidental.

If you're reading this and thinking "I need someone to help me hold this"—that's what my Strategic Authenticity process is for.

But for now?

Try the exercise.

Give your brain the best brief it's ever had.

See what becomes possible.

— Zoe Hayes
Architect of Impossible-to-Ignore Brands