Dear Future Me 2025
Every year I get a letter from my past self around April 17th. Usually I will write one 1 year in advance and another 3-5 years in advance. The one I am sharing with you today is the one I wrote from 2022 - 3 years ago! I love this practice because it helps me think about where I’m going and what I want to accomplish, bringing my goals to the forefront & allows me to celebrate the ones that I was merely dreaming of years prior - because it’s one thing to “wish” for things, it’s another to work towards them. At the bottom of the post I will share the website so you can create your own Future Me letter!!
Dear FutureMe,
Alright, 3 years is a LONG time from now - we will be into 2025 which meeeeans, I should be reading this while I am in and around Calgary if all has gone to plan. I hope you are still using photography to change the world, but in the way that lights you up and allows you to make the changes in the industry. I also hope that you are on your way to writing your 5th book by now - don't stop writing! You have a lot to offer this world and your writing allows you to do that.
I hope your family dynamic is doing well and even though you might be missing your kiddos (oh god, they are going to be so old when you read this!!) I hope you are making time to call or connect with them.
It's wild to think that you are reading this from past you, but it's also kind of cool. I hope that you are still living a life you desire - that you have found what brings you contentment and have finally realized it doesn't lie in the stuff you buy or how productive you are - but rather in the change you are making and the connections you keep.
I hope you have found a lovely spot for your reading chair to go so that you are able to spend time reading, writing, meditating, and being alone without having to run away all the time.
I also hope you have figured out a way to let go of Facebook so you can focus on creating communities that are amazing and not so stressful. Keep focusing on just showing up - you don't need to do much more than that - if you do one thing a day that is in line with your purpose, you will be creating change in ways you don't even know.
I love you. Tell yourself you are loved, safe, and supported. You are going to be okay and even better, you are going to thrive!
XOXO
Teri
It’s really fun to read this and remember back to 2022 Teri. At that point I still had my studio, but knew I was going to be releasing it in August. I was slowing down the pace of my photoshoots and this was before gearing up to my first roadtrip across Canada with Aroha. I knew that Ryan and I would end up in Calgary eventually, so that part came true. I am still using photography to change the world and photography industry - just in a different way than I did before. I haven’t started my 5th book yet, but my rhythm seems to be every 2 years, so probably at the end of this year I will have an idea about what it is I want to write about. My family dynamic is better than it’s been in awhile, especially since we all went to Mexico and were able to see the growth in all of us since the hard time of having Dad pass away. I do need to connect to the kiddos more than I currently do - but they are also in a busy season of their lives with sports and the farm.
I am slowly building the next iteration of the life I desire - one that is rooted in slowness, intention, and integrity. I am no longer living the hustle pace I was before which is really nice and is this contentment? I’m not sure. I like everything that I get to do…I think I just want to do more of it! As far as my love of “stuff” and “productivity” those roots run deep and while my stuff is mostly thrifted now, I still like to lust after it and I still feel guilty when I’m resting, healing, or otherwise - but we are working on every single day!
I do have a lovely spot for reading, but it’s actually in the form of my floral chaise I bought of marketplace when I got to Calgary - it’s so comfy and beautiful and positioned in my “studio” at the house so in the morning I love looking out the window and being surrounded by all the beauty of my art. I don’t want to run away any more.
I still have Facebook, but this is a reminder that I wanted to get rid of it back THEN, so we need to revisit the importance of distancing ourselves from these social media avenues that are draining the life and creativity out of me. I am still trying daily to make a difference! <3
I think I will receive my 1 year letter in a few days from now and it will be interesting if I had anything additional I was thinking about last year - I can’t really recall. One of the hardest things for me has been the lack of clarity around goals & aspirations and as someone who has been a high achiever for her whole life, to not know specifically what I am aiming for is driving me MAD! Right now, I say I would like more of what I currently have, but what does that mean and how can I see it as a “goal” or something to aspire to? Previously, I would have such specific goals that I was able to cross them off the list - but now that I know I am the same person with or without achieving said goals, I had to learn to fall more in love with the process than the outcome and that is a lot less dopamine filled if I am being honest. It is, however, much more calming on the nervous system which is appreciated.
If you want to write to yourself in the future, feel free to check out the site below and think about where you want to be in 6 months, 1 year, 3 year, 5 years, or 10 years! Let your future self know how proud you are of where you are right now. Share photos, videos, etc. with your future self to really create a beautiful time capsule!
