Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques23 Jan 2025

180. Unlocking Your Future Self: Communication, Happiness & Wellbeing

Why creating happiness in the future starts today.

The new year gives us an opportunity to reflect on who we are and who we want to be. As we set resolutions and prepare for evolutions, this special four-part series on communication, happiness, and well-being explores practical ways to enhance our lives through better communication, deeper connections, and more meaningful choices.

In pursuing happiness and well-being, we often focus on the present moment. But according to Hal Hershfield, one of the best ways to help ourselves today is to have a conversation with ourselves in the future.

"When I say future self, I really mean any version of us that exists at some later point in time," explains Hershfield, a UCLA professor and author of Your Future Self: How to Make Tomorrow Better Today. By thinking of our future selves as different people — ones we should care about — we can make better choices in the present. "If we can tap into the feelings of our future selves, then we can do more that benefits them, which may make our lives easier now and later."

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Hershfield and host Matt Abrahams explore how communication between our present and future selves can help us set goals, make decisions, and overcome pitfalls like procrastination, enabling us to take meaningful action now so we can thrive today and tomorrow.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/ThinkFast and get ten percent off your first month.

Episode Reference Links:

Hal Hershfield
Hal’s Book: Your Future Self: How to Make Tomorrow Better Today

Connect:

Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium
Email Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.io
Episode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart Website
Newsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.io
Think Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube
Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn

Chapters:

(00:00) - Introduction
(02:12) - What Is a Future Self?
(03:37) - Mistakes in Time Travel Thinking
(04:45) - Overcoming Procrastination
(07:16) - Connecting to Our Future Selves
(10:35) - Disappointment and Adjusting Goals
(12:14) - Goal Setting and Motivation
(15:02) - Public Accountability for Motivation
(16:04) - The Final Three Questions
(20:35) - Conclusion

********
Become a Faster Smarter Supporter by joining TFTS Premium.

Take advantage of our Sponsor offer from BetterHelp

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(333)

327. The Human Reset: Reclaiming Authenticity in the Age of AI

“Our imperfections reveal that we’re human.”As AI makes it easier to polish our words, how do we prove that our communication is actually our own? For Matt Abrahams, the answer isn’t to avoid AI, but ...

28 Sep 25min

326. Rethinks: The Secrets to Getting the Information You Need from AI

“Most teams leave the vast majority of their innovation potential on the table.”If you treat artificial intelligence like an oracle, you’ll likely be disappointed. But treat it like a teammate, and Je...

24 Sep 25min

325. Message Market Fit: Turning Great Ideas Into Communication That Lands

“No one cares about us, our company, our products. We have to make them care, and for that, we need the right words.”Great work doesn’t always speak for itself. For communication strategist and author...

21 Sep 19min

324. Rethinks: Defining Where We Want AI To Take Us

“If you're worried that a ChatGPT type tool can replace you, you need to [ask]: Why am I communicating? What am I trying to say? Am I being authentic?”Artificial intelligence can now do a lot of thing...

17 Sep 23min

323. Turn Up the Heat: Make Conflict More Constructive

“I’m not saying necessarily fight more, I’m saying fight better.”Conflict doesn’t have to mean avoidance or escalation. Priya Parker, expert facilitator, strategic advisor and author of The Art of Fig...

14 Sep 24min

322. Talk Back: Why Arguing With Yourself Can Help You Flourish

“What you think is not gospel.”Can arguing with yourself make you happier? Martin Seligman, positive psychology pioneer and author of Agency: The Psychological History of Human Progress, says our nega...

10 Sep 21min

321. The Respect Effect: What Stereotype Threat Teaches Us About Communication

“Everybody you interact with needs that signal of respect.”Feeling seen and respected can shape how we communicate and connect with others. For Stanford social psychologist and author of Churn: The Te...

7 Sep 20min

320. Quick Thinks: How to Prepare, Stand Out, and Ace Your Interview

“The ability to handle yourself in interviews and other high-pressure situations can make the difference in getting the job and achieving your goals.”A successful interview is more than answering ques...

3 Sep 17min