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IAPPC Letter From The Future December 2022

coaching 2023

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38 views3 pages

IAPPC Letter From The Future December 2022

coaching 2023

Uploaded by

Teodora
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Happy New Year and Welcome to IAPPC Membership!

Here's an easy strategy tool that is a


variation on the Ideal Self exercises popularized by positive psychology.
It's called the Letter from Your Ideal Future and I love sharing it with clients and using it,
myself. Use the Letter whenever you or a coaching client has a big complex goal that will take
some time, strategy, and focus to achieve.
Once the Letter is written, it can be returned to again and again for guidance and to see if
you're on track, falling behind, or ahead of schedule. Having it down on paper helps make it
seem real and doable and knowing which steps to take and when brings clarity and confidence.
Seeing in black and white that your steps lead to success can stop you from second guessing
yourself or believing naysayers who don't support your goals. (Pro tip: Identify any naysayers in
your life and stop sharing your goals with them. ;-)
Ready? Grab some paper and a pen...
There is evidence that our brains change more when we write by hand rather than type so a
handwritten Letter from Your Ideal Future may be more effective. But I've also typed Letters
that were helpful so if you feel strongly resistant to writing longhand, go ahead and type.
Start with a strongly desired, heart-felt goal.

Copyright, Julia Stewart, 2022


https://positivepsychologycoach.org/
Your goal needs to be something you intrinsically value, not something you should want or
that someone else wants. No one has to see or approve of your letter but you, so choose a goal
that makes your heart sing.
How to find a great goal? Take one deep delicious breath and close your eyes. Think about all
the projects you could do and notice which one lights you up the most. That's the one. Trust it.
Now think realistically how long it may take for you to reach your goal. Literally pick a date.
That's how you start your letter. Put that future date at the top of your page.
On the next line, write, "Dear Me..."
Paragraph 1: After Dear Me, write to yourself about your success. Write in detail as if it is
already the date at the top of your page and you have fully achieved your heartfelt goal. Tell
yourself what it is like now that you have achieved success, and everything has gone as well as
it possibly could. Focus especially on how good it feels now that you've reached this goal. This
should be an enjoyable process. Really feel it. Feeling it will help you achieve it. Some questions
to ask yourself might include: How I am different now that I've achieved this? What I have
learned along the way? Who did I have to become? What's possible now? How will I celebrate
my success? What do other people have to say and how do they treat me now? (Only include
positives in this paragraph. If anything negative comes up, that's to be handled proactively in
the months preceding the date you've achieved your goal, to help you succeed. More on that
below. This way, your strategy writes itself.)
Paragraph 2: Tell yourself how you did it. Let's say your achievement date is one year from
now. In this next paragraph, tell yourself what you did in the first six months. (If your
achievement date is sooner or later, the amount of time will differ, but I'll write these
instructions based on a one-year goal.) List ten things you did in the first six months working
toward this goal. You can add details later. Include anything negative that came up in Paragraph
1. Decide how you will proactively handle those potential problems. Sometimes your steps will
include getting training, or more information, or assistance from others. Sometimes it will
include setting up systems and structures to make the rest of the project easier. Sometimes it
will include better self-care since no one can achieve their best goals unless they are at their
best. Sometimes it'll be about improving, repairing, or eliminating what could hold you back.
Design your environment to support your success.
Paragraph 3: Now tell yourself what you did in the first three months. This is a slightly shorter
list, maybe eight items long. Choose steps that will help set you up for the steps in Paragraph 2.
Paragraph 4: Next tell yourself what you did in the first month. This might be just six items.
Again, choose steps that set you up for success with latter steps.

Copyright, Julia Stewart, 2022


https://positivepsychologycoach.org/
Paragraph 5: Tell yourself what you did in the first week. This will only be two or three steps.
You're just getting started on your journey to success.
Paragraph 6: Now tell yourself the one step you need to take TODAY. Often, this will be clear
after you've written all the other steps and sometimes it's surprisingly easy to start. Take that
step. You're on your way now!
Paragraph 7: Finally, tell yourself how proud you are that you followed through, that you didn't
anticipate everything that needed doing, but that was okay because you had a clear strategy
that provided a framework for success. Add some details about your celebration here as well.
There you have it! Your roadmap to success!
This is a powerful tool that you can customize as needed. For instance, you can use it at the
start of a new year to list a few high-value goals and track your progress throughout the year.
This is also a powerful exercise to share with your own coaching clients. You are welcome to
share this as long as you include copyright and full attribution.
PS: I love going back to my letters and discovering I've already completed so many steps or that
I’ve already reached my goal!

Copyright, Julia Stewart, 2022


https://positivepsychologycoach.org/

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