Can you picture yourself in the future? What do you see?
This picture is in your future:
If you picture yourself in the future, is it more likely you will have a future? Many past and present experts picture that as true. For example, when I encounter people who are expressing desperate thoughts and feelings, their prognosis for survival is much better if they are able to picture the future. In the psychotherapy biz, we call that “future-oriented thinking.” Also, a good attitude about the future helps people deal with scary, difficult events.
Picture this email — with the subject “Picturing my future” — that I just sent to my past-present-and-future cardiologist, Dr. Deeb Salem:
Hi Deeb,
Since you’re going to be talking to Dr. Carole Warnes from the Mayo Clinic on Thursday about my future, I would love to have a meeting with you on Wednesday. If you can picture that in our future, I’m available any time Wednesday afternoon. Can we make that work?Your inquisitive, future-picturing, and grateful patient,Ann
I will be out of the hospital until Tuesday March 29th Deeb
Is that Tuesday March 29 in the future? Oh no!
Do any of those pictures help you picture yourself in the future? The last picture helped me picture this Lip Sync Battle for our immediate future:
Shake it off, please, and picture yourself in my future by leaving a comment, below.
Future-picturing thanks to all those who helped me create today’s post and to you — of course! — for the future you’re picturing, here and now.
I used to get the most amazing writing and drawing, asking students to draw where they’ll be in the future. Me, I’m not so sure now that I’m older. I hope I’ll be even older than I am now. And have my mind.
I’m picturing a long future with you, Ruth.
I’m in!
Someone said to me that they hope the future is like Star Trek. I agreed but I think the long term appeal of Star Trek, something none of the people involved with it imagined in 1966, is that it imagined an ideal future to try and make the present better.
I agree, Chris, and I picture many more comments from you in the future.
Facebook keeps telling me my profile picture (three years old) needs updating. If I send one of me in the future, will this get them off my back?
None of us can truly predict the future, Derrick, but I picture that being worth a try.
I picture myself in 10 years sitting on the patio outside my little seaside cottage drinking coffee and reading your posts. I know it will come true, because that is what I am picturing in the future.
I love the future you are picturing, SD!
I can picture a flood of pictures from you from Minnesota, before and after your surgery as we get to see just how you get stronger every day after your surgery.
I love that picture of pictures and me, Elyse. <3
I can picture the future, but the MacIntosh SE was definitely a blast from the past! I hope Dr. Deeb got back to you with a date-appropriate answer!
You predicted the future accurately! <3
hello ann koplow its dennis the vizsla dog oh hay the fyootcher!!! i hav ben their in my time traveling doghowse of justiss!!! it lukd kind of like the past eksept for more modern!!! ha ha ok bye
I’m happy and sad to see this past comment from Dennis, in the present. I miss you, Dennis! <3