Possible futures

I occasionally get a big vision for my future — a huge project that will take many months or years. Something exciting and very worth doing.

I’ll do a bunch of research, make a bunch of plans, and feel like I’ve made a big decision on a new direction in life.

Then a month later, I have a completely different vision. Something unrelated to the previous one. Something I’m more excited about.

And the process repeats.

I used to feel bad about this. Like I should stop having new ideas for the future, and just stick with one. I used to feel bad for not acting on them.

Then I made a little change that made a big difference: on my computer, I made a folder called “Possible Futures.” For each big plan, I make a new file in that folder and put all of my ideas and research into it.

Now I can daydream all I want, not feeling bad that I’m not taking action, because it’s clear that each plan is just one of many possible futures.

This collection of plans also reminds me that I love daydreaming, just for its own sake.

I’ve got seventy-two different futures in there as of today. A few times a year, I read through them all. Some seem stupid now, but some get more and more enticing with time.

When I finish a big project and I’m feeling ready for a new future, I open this folder and pick one to make real.