When you’re in the middle of a change and feeling out of control, there are some little tricks and tools that can help you. This one is great for when you’re early on in your change journey and exploring lots of different options. When there are a lot of different possibilities, it can be exciting, scary, overwhelming, or all three! One way to help yourself in this situation is to think longer term. You can do this using the Future Goggles. All you need is a comfortable place to sit where you won’t be disturbed so you can read through the directions below. You may also like to have a pen and paper to hand to write down the answers to the questions.

Try the Future Goggles on for size

Imagine there is a special box in front of you. It looks like it is straight from a science fiction movie. Perhaps it’s shiny, silver, metallic. There is no obvious button or catch on the outside, but as soon as you touch it, it opens.

Inside, there is a pair of goggles. You take them out and hold them in your hands. They weigh almost nothing. You peer through one of the lenses, but you can’t see anything through them. Gently, you place them on your head.

Through the goggles, you look at your hands: they are totally changed. The skin is much more wrinkled, the nails more ridged, the knuckles more pronounced. You are astonished: how can your hands have aged in an instant? You remove the goggles; your hands are back to their usual state. You put the goggles on again, and your hands instantly age. You realise that these Future Goggles have the ability to take you forwards to a future version of you, far away from the situation you currently find yourself in.

You realise that, in fact, your whole body has aged. You feel much, much older. Many, many years older. Take a moment to notice that in detail. What does your body feel like? Does it feel heavy, or light? Do you feel aches and pains? Where are you right now? This chair that you are sitting on… where is it, in this future version of yourself? Who is with you?

Build up a rich picture for yourself. And then… look back. Look back over your life and ask yourself the Future Questions.

Future Questions

– Can you see signs that point to direction you should be taking at this point? Perhaps these signs now seem obvious, with the benefit of hindsight?

– Now that you are looking back on it, how do you feel about the situation you are in? Are you sympathetic to your plight? Or are you impatient with yourself, for not seeing something obvious or for not taking action sooner? Are you pleased with how things turn out? Or are you worried that somehow you are missing something?

– What are you itching to say to the younger version of yourself? Are you desperate to tell yourself to take more risks, or to hold back and be more intentional about your choices? Do you want to tell yourself to appreciate what you already have, or to stop settling? Do you want to warn yourself not to be seduced by the next shiny thing that comes along?

Notice what your answers are, and take a moment to write them down if you’d like.

What Next?

I hope the Future Goggles are a tool that you can draw on when you’re in the middle of a change and you need to gain a bit of perspective or distance.

Future Goggles are one way you can play with change. If you are interested in taking on a manageable change that you can play with over 30 Days, try out a 30 Day Challenge.

In the past few years I have experimented with change by taking on big adventures and small adventures – and I’ve learned the most from the small ones. I use 30 Day Challenges to try something new and see what I learn from it. Get ideas and a tracker sheet to help you do a 30 Day Challenge here.