Be Your Future Self Now: The Science of Intentional Transformation

“Assume the consciousness of being the one you want to be, and you will be saved from your present state.”

—Neville Goddard¹

On the evening of October 4, 2015, instead of studying for his 11th-grade history test, 17-year-old Jimmy Donaldson filmed four YouTube videos.

While Jimmy had been actively creating YouTube videos for over three years, these recordings were different. Rather than doing commentaries on video games or discussing the lives and incomes of famous YouTubers as he normally did, Jimmy invited his audience to sit-in on the intimate and vulnerable conversations he had with himself.

In the first segment, Jimmy spoke to his Future Self, 6 months into the future.

In the second video, he talked to his Future Self, 12 months into the future.

In the third recording, he addressed his Future Self, 5 years into the future.

And in the fourth, he spoke to his Future Self, 10 years into the future.

Each video lasted around two minutes.

Nothing crazy.

But in those pivotal moments, Jimmy was completely raw and honest about what he wanted, and what he expected, of his Future Self.

Rather than publishing these videos immediately as he normally would, he scheduled each clip to publish in the future—exactly 6 months, 12 months, 5 years, and 10 years respectively from October 4, 2015.

Six months later, on April 4, 2016, the first video went live on Jimmy’s YouTube channel.²

The video began with Jimmy showing his computer screen and highlighting the current stats of his YouTube channel.

He then has a short conversation with his Future Self.

Not only did Jimmy achieve his 6-month goal, but by the time his 12-month Future Me video released on October 4, 2016, Jimmy had increased his subscribers tenfold since his 6-month future me video went live—he now had over 200,000 subscribers.

He consistently made videos viewed by millions.

His videos grew bolder and more innovative.

He fully embraced the brand of his alter ego—MrBeast.

The creation of his future me videos became a turning-point in Jimmy’s life. These candid conversations marked a crucial inflection point when Jimmy got courageous toward his dreams. Within a few years, he made hundreds of millions of dollars as the fastest rising internet sensation, ever.

MrBeast’s psychology and commitment shifted that night he skipped his history test to go public about his Future Self. You can actually see a clear distinction from Jimmy’s videos pre and post October 2015. He filmed himself less often behind the screen playing video games and more often in front of the camera. He pumped the MrBeast concept and brand and recruited friends who became common features in his videos to support the MrBeast ideology.

On June 1, 2016, his first video went super viral, garnering more than 20 million views. He and his friends were shown commenting on the best YouTube introductions. The episode had more visual effects, and MrBeast himself had more confidence and swagger.³

Days later, he introduced his growing style of doing either interesting stunts or ridiculous feats. He bought an outdoor picnic table and cut the whole thing in half, using only plastic butter knives. He spent more than $60 to purchase thousands of plastic knives to accomplish the task that took dozens of hours to do. That video received more than three million views.⁴

On August 23, 2016, MrBeast garnered two million views of his friend wrapping him in 100 rolls of saran wrap.⁵

On October 16, 2016, he published a skit of himself pretending that every online ad he read immediately became real.⁶ “Win a free iPad” became a new iPad that all-of-a-sudden appeared on his doorstep. “Have your laptop run 100 times faster” instantly produced a new laptop in his lap. Following a running commentary with jokes, the adventure ended when he and his friends destroyed the computers used in the video.

That video got MrBeast another nine million views.

On January 8, 2017, MrBeast livestreamed himself counting to 100,000.⁷ The feat took almost 40 hours and resulted in over 20 million views. A month later he counted to 200,000, and then to 300,000.⁸,⁹

In August of 2017, he filmed himself saying “Logan Paul” 100,000 times.¹⁰

As his stunts became more ridiculous and absurd, Jimmy evolved into his desired Future Self. His experimentation became bolder. He developed donation videos as a staple of his growing brand.

On June 15, 2017, he published a video of himself giving $10,000 to a homeless man.¹¹ Later, he gave $1,000 to 10 different homeless people.¹²

On August 15, 2017, he filmed himself donating $10,000 to random Twitch Streamers—people who play video games publicly on the internet.¹³

His donation videos highlighted the hysterical reactions of the people who received large amounts of money unexpectedly.

On August 23, 2017, Jimmy published a video of himself tipping pizza delivery guys $10,000, and laughing at their overwhelm.¹⁴ He hugged an older man who spoke through his tears about how much the money would impact him and his wife.

On August 30, 2017, Jimmy tipped Uber drivers $10,000.¹⁵

In addition to donating larger and larger sums of money—which he originally got from various sponsors of his videos—MrBeast performed bigger stunts and games where people could win greater sums of money.

He tested how many balloons were needed to lift him off the ground, drove more than 100 hours to purchase a Snickers bar from every Walmart in his state, bought a car with only pennies, and gave three million pennies to the person who became his three millionth subscriber.¹⁶,¹⁷,¹⁸,¹⁹

By October 4, 2020, when his third future me video aired, MrBeast had become the fastest rising YouTuber on the internet.

He had more than 40 million subscribers.

He’d become a household name.

He operated a business with a team of more than 30 people and an annual revenue in excess of $100 million.

His videos averaged 30 million views—some with hundreds of millions of views.

A little more contemplative than his 6- and 12-month videos, Jimmy’s Hi Me In 5 Years recording showed a 17-year-old Jimmy connected with a much different and bigger Future Self.

The wheels in his head seemed to spin.

The thought visibly terrifies him. He covers his mouth as if to stop the words. His eyes widen. Looking frightened, he continues.

After contemplating the potential that he could be dead when this video goes live on his YouTube channel, he grows serious about his Future Self.

His conviction heightens.

Then, the weight of realizing his dream overwhelms him. Jimmy sits back in his chair, caught up in his thinking.

He lets out an outward breath that flitters his hair.

He can’t finish his own sentence.

He shakes his head and closes his eyes, contemplating desperately and deeply what he wants. He shakes his head and gazes at his bedroom ceiling. He connects so deeply with his desired Future Self that he forgets he’s filming.

After a moment of imagination, he continues his conversation with his camera.

He bites his hand while voicing his dream.

He finishes his video by proclaiming one more time:

At the writing of this book—December of 2021—it’s been a little over a year since MrBeast’s Hi Me In 5 Years video went live.

Jimmy has more than 82 million subscribers. His stunts get bolder.

Not only did Jimmy become his desired Future Self, he shattered his vision again and again.

From an outside perspective, Jimmy’s transformation over the past six years is almost unbelievable. He went from a 17-year-old kid with zero money making videos in his bedroom to being one of the most famous people in the world. Extremely wealthy and business savvy, he aspires to one day become president of the United States.

Do methodologies exist that you and I can follow to create similar results in our own lives? The exciting answer is absolutely yes. Recent research in psychology provides an extremely simple explanation for MrBeast’s amazing transformation. You can apply the process for desired results and change in your own life.

This book will show you exactly how.

A SHIFT IN THE SCIENCE

From the late 1800s to the late 1900s, the field of psychology focused on human problems. Referred to as pathology, the theories and therapies centered on alleviating problems including depression and suicide. The concept of human flourishing received little emphasis.

During this period, science suggested that human beings are the direct byproduct of their own past. This view is known as determinism—the idea that human behavior is simply one domino toppled by the dominos that came before.²¹,²²,²³,²⁴ The dominos of past events dictate who you are and what you’re doing now. There is no human agency or freedom—simply stimulus and response.

In other words, according to determinism, your life today is the secondary synthesis of your past.

Although the dominant view, determinism was extremely limiting and negative. If a person had a lot of problems, those problems could only be explained by their past. And sadly, the main objective of psychology was simply to explain the problems, not solve them.

In the 1990s, a group of revolutionary psychologists who dubbed themselves “positive psychologists,” questioned these central dogmas of psychology. They asked different questions and ran different types of experiments trying to better understand what led someone to be happy, healthy, and successful.

This research, along with breakthroughs in technology and neuroscience, produced a different picture about what makes a person who they are. In fact, modern research provides a near opposite explanation from previously held beliefs.

Research now shows that a person’s past does not drive or dictate their actions and behaviors. Rather, we are pulled forward by our future.²⁵

As human beings, we have a unique characteristic held by no other species on the planet. People have the ability to not only think about our own future, but to have countless potential scenarios for our future. Additionally, humans are able to contemplate deeply on our potential prospects.²⁶

For example, you may have lots of potential options before you such as taking a certain job or staying where you are, moving to a different country or remaining local. We have hundreds of potential futures we could fulfill and countless decisions we could make for our lives. We think about these options and eventually make a decision about which direction we’ll go.

Psychologists call this unique human ability prospection; as people, everything we do is driven by our prospects of the future.²⁷ Prospection is based on a teleological view of the world, which views all human action and behavior as driven by goals—whether short term or long term.²⁸

From this view, every human action has a purpose. Another word for purpose is goal. All human-action is goal-driven, even if the goal of the behavior isn’t consciously considered by the individual.

Take for example, walking to the refrigerator to get food. That behavior is driven by the goal of satisfying hunger, a distraction, or indulgence. Whatever the goal, that purpose is the driver behind walking to the fridge.

Going to school is another example. People go to school for a reason. Each individual student will have different goals for attending. One student may be trying to quality for college. Another student may be there because parents forced them, and they don’t want to get in trouble. Despite having very different internal reasons for being in class, both students are there to satisfy an end.

While the student’s purpose may not be conscious or inspiring, their reason still exists. Even if the goal is simply immediate gratification or escape, then doing harmful drugs or wasting away on social media are actions driven by reasons.

Some questions you could ask yourself are:

• What is the reason or goal for this activity?
• What benefit am I getting from this?
• Where is this activity taking me?

There are three levels to understanding a particular event or action:

1. The what
2. The how
3. The why

Level one is the ability to explain what happened. In this case, you could say: he went to school. That’s the what.

Level two is the ability to explain how the behavior happened. In this case, you could say: he got a ride to school.

Level three is being able to explain why the behavior happened. There is always a why for everything someone does. That why is their reason or goal for what they’re doing.

Knowing the why is the deepest and most powerful form of knowledge because the why is always the driver of the what and how. When you understand why the stock market goes up and down, making informed decisions about investing becomes easier. When you understand why someone does what they do, their actions and behaviors make a lot more sense.

There is always a why or goal behind human behavior. There is a purpose or reason for all human activity. The more conscious and clear you are about choosing your purpose and goals, the how begins to take care of itself. Your behavior follows your purpose and goals. Without conscious purpose, the how becomes conflicted and chaotic.

All goals or motivations fit within two categories: approach or avoid.²⁹,³⁰ The reason for doing anything is either to approach something you want to happen, or to avoid something you don’t want to happen. As a rule, 80 percent of people are primarily driven by fear or avoidance, while 20 percent of people are driven by approach and courage.

As Dr. David Hawkins explains:

Approach motivations and avoid motivations are both goals. For instance, going to work because you don’t want to lose your house is an avoidance-driven goal. Going to work to get a promotion is more approach-motivated.

Your reason or goal, whether positive or negative, approach or avoidance motivated, is the driver of your thoughts, energy, and actions.

In all instances, humans act as we do based on the future we see for ourselves. That may be a future we’re trying to avoid, or a future we’re trying to create. That future may be decades or seconds away.

In addition to being driven primarily by fear, the average person is mostly driven by short-term goals such as distracting themselves with social media instead of working, getting to the end of the workday, getting to the weekend, or paying the bills.

Said rapper and business mogul, 50 Cent, and author Robert Greene in The 50th Law:

Being driven by fear is a lower state of consciousness than being driven by courage and vision. Deep emotional development is required to transition beyond fear as your driver to levels of acceptance, courage, and love as reasons for action.

In addition to fear being a core emotional driver of human action, some psychologists believe human beings have not evolved to effectively think years or decades into the future.³³ Our hunter-gatherer ancestors weren’t planning for retirement by age 65. Instead, they were strategizing for their next meal or trying to avoid being eaten.

As further proof that people struggle to think ahead, consider that the median age an American starts planning for retirement is 27. And with almost four decades to accomplish their goal, the median retirement savings totals $107,000. As great as this number sounds to a 27-year-old, that’s only $310 of monthly income after retirement.

Whoops.

Speaking of age 65, another reason people likely struggle contemplating and strategizing for a long-term future is that the average human life expectancy has nearly doubled over the past 150 years. In 1860, the average life expectancy in America was 39 years old.³⁴ Eighty years is a long time to look ahead and plan for.

We have a lot of things working against us when it comes to living effectively. Shifting our goals from fear-based, reactive, and short term to proactive, long term, and love-based is the path to a successful and happy life. Your view of your Future Self is the compass that draws you forward.

This takes us to the growing body of research on the subjects of prospection, identity, and Future Self. Increasing numbers of psychologists are focusing their research on the importance of a person’s view of their own Future Self. TED Talks by prominent psychologists are aimed at the critical importance of one’s connection to and creation of their own Future Self.

Consider the themes of the following TED Talks given in recent years:

• The psychology of your Future Self³⁵
• The battle between your present and Future Self³⁶
• Essential questions to ask your Future Self³⁷
• A journey to your Future Self³⁸
• Guidance from your Future Self³⁹
• Saying hello to your Future Self⁴⁰
• How can we help our Future Selves?⁴¹
• Thinking forward for your Future Self⁴²
• How to make our present self become our Future Self⁴³
• Challenge your Future Self⁴⁴
• How to step into your Future Self⁴⁵

As the science on prospection and Future Self continues to grow and become increasingly compelling, Future Self coaching and meditation programs are in development.

Yet, there has never been a definitive book written on the topic until now. Research among psychologists is on the cutting edge, and the science is still young. The science of Future Self will increase during the next two decades. This book is here to catch you up on the latest science to this point.

In this highly practical book, you’ll learn:

• the science of your Future Self
• how to connect with and create your desired Future Self
• how to expand your Future Self far, far beyond what you currently imagine, just as MrBeast instinctively did

The quality of connection you have with your own Future Self determines the quality of your life and behaviors now. Research shows that the more connected you are to your own Future Self, the wiser decisions you make here and now. Contemplating your Future Self, you’re more likely to invest in and set yourself up for an abundant retirement, exercise and eat healthier, and you’re less likely to engage in delinquent or self-defeating acts.⁴⁶,⁴⁷,⁴⁸

The Future Self concept is simple yet rarely practiced. To make quality decisions, know where those decisions will take you. Decisions and actions are best when reverse-engineered from a desired outcome. Start with what you want and work backward. Think and act from your goal, rather than toward your goal. Your brain does this automatically. Indeed, neuroscientists now agree the brain is essentially a “prediction machine,” guiding behavior toward the expected future.⁴⁹ Learning is the process of updating and improving our brain’s predictions.⁵⁰

The clearer you are on where you want to go, the less distracted you’ll be by endless options.

When you’re disconnected with your Future Self, you get caught up in urgent goals that often result in low-quality behavior in the present. For the majority, this is the norm.

Many people are primarily driven by short-term goals, which are disconnected from the long-term repercussions of those decisions. This reality is depicted in a 2010 episode of The Simpsons, “MoneyBart,” when Homer, an irresponsible father, is confronted with his responsibilities and shirks them with alcohol.⁵¹

His wife, Marge, tries to get Homer back on track. “Someday, these kids will be out of the house, and you’ll regret not spending more time with them.”

“That’s a problem for future Homer.” He shakes his head. “Man, I don’t envy that guy.” Homer pours vodka into a mayonnaise jar, drinks the contents, and collapses of an apparent heart attack.

We laugh at Homer because we know deep down that we are the same. We may not be choosing mayonnaise and vodka over our children, but we knowingly leave problems for our Future Selves all the time.

In the 1990s, on The Late Show with David Letterman, the comedian Jerry Seinfeld discussed this common human plight:

Letterman laughed and replied, “You have done an excellent job of crystallizing the dichotomy of modern American life.”⁵²

Because we’re disconnected from our Future Selves, we opt for near immediate goals or dopamine hits. This short-term seeking ends up costing our Future Selves big.⁵³ As Harvard psychologist and Future Self researcher, Dr. Daniel Gilbert, asked, “Why do we make decisions our Future Selves will regret?”⁵⁴

This brings up a counterintuitive but important truth—the more connected you are to your Future Self, the better you live in the present.

• It is not the past, but the future, that drives a person’s actions and behaviors.
• All goals can be placed in two categories: approach or avoidance.
• Connected to your Future Self, you can appreciate, embrace, and love the present.
• Connection to your Future Self creates purpose and meaning in the present.
• The more connected you are to your longer-term Future Self, the better and wiser your decisions today.

Being connected to your Future Self makes you happy, productive, and successful.

That’s the crazy part. Connection to your Future Self elevates your present self and circumstances. You truly prize the invaluable goldmine that is your life right now. Your connection to your future is how you live powerfully now.

BE YOUR FUTURE SELF NOW

Exhaustion hung over me like a cloud as I drove home from work.

On any normal day, I’d come home and relax after a long day’s work. But this particular day, I’d been writing this book and thinking about the research on Future Self. How could I use what I learned to be a better husband? How could I connect with my Future Self to be a better father to my six energetic kids who would be hungry for Dad’s attention when I arrived? Truthfully, I’d become aware that more often than I’d like to admit, I wasn’t as engaged with my family as I wanted to be.

Once I reached my neighborhood, I pulled to the side of the road to truly contemplate who I wanted to be when I arrived home. I considered my own Future Self. Twenty years from now, I’ll be 53 years old. All six of my children will be adults and no longer living at home.

Sitting in my parked car, a few roads from my house, I asked myself, “How would my Future Self feel, and what would they do, if the 53-year-old me could come back and live my life for the rest of today?”

A quote from Viktor Frankl, the Austrian psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor, came to mind:

I decided to give Frankl’s idea a try.

I decided to live the rest of the day as if I were my Future Self, 20 years into the future, and my Future Self had the opportunity to time travel back and relive the rest of today.

When I pulled into my driveway, 3-year-old Phoebe was outside waiting.

“Daddy!” She jumped around, excited to see me.

Watching my beautiful and witty daughter, I knew my Future Self, 20 years from now, would give anything to experience this single moment.

As my Future Self, I saw this moment very differently than I normally do. I was brought to tears by how much I loved her. I recognized her as a perfect gift sent from God.

I jumped out of the car and hugged Phoebe like I hadn’t seen her in 20 years. “Do you want me to chase you?”

“Yeah!” She took off, giggling.

Laughing, I chased her down the block. Scooping her into my arms, I hugged her close. How is this my life? How am I so lucky?

Taking in the setting, I saw my neighborhood and street differently. I felt reverence for what I experienced. I grasped that I stood on holy ground.

After playing blissfully with Phoebe for about five minutes, I snapped a selfie to always remember the time my Future Self came back and played with his little girl.

October 30, 2021, playing with Phoebe as my 53-year-old Future Self. Photo: courtesy of the author.

Phoebe and I went indoors where my older kids argued with each other as energetic and normal kids do. In the kitchen, Lauren busily made dinner while helping baby Rex and Zorah.

On a regular day, I might immediately chide or correct my older kids. I might zone out.

But on this day, with my Future Self in mind, my family felt far more important than I normally see them. Rather than being frustrated by the clutter, I loved the toys scattered about the house.

I loved the homeschool books and assignments strewn across the kitchen table.

I loved seeing my kids playing with each other.

My wife, Lauren—her beauty took my breath. How the heck did I get this amazing life?

Rather than feeling annoyed, I felt astonished by how much I loved the banter of my 10- to 14-year-old kids. To my Future Self, these three are in their 30s. What would my Future Self say if they could come back and just have five minutes? Rather than speaking, I’m confident my Future Self would want nothing more than to listen to, learn from, and affirm these incredible kids.

I pulled the proverbial cotton balls out of my ears and put them in my mouth.

The seismic shift within felt elevated, evolved, and profound. Things that normally frustrated me seemed completely trivial. Totally in flow, I loved the things that often annoyed me. Not only did I feel present and engaged, but I acted with greater kindness, perspective, and wisdom. My Future Self would handle this situation differently and better than current me.

Tapping into my Future Self, and living as my Future Self changed everything.

Even deeper, I realized and fully appreciated that my Future Self might not be here in 20 years.

I could be gone. Recently, a friend’s 2-year-old died in a freak and horribly tragic accident because he accidently got the cord to the window blinds wrapped around his neck. Memento Mori is an ancient Stoic term for keeping death always on your mind to fully value and appreciate this moment.

Sadly, I often miss the incredible moments all around me. Without a sense of purpose and mission, I fail to appreciate what’s right in front of me. I fail to value the infinite worth of my current life, simply because I’m disconnected. Viktor Frankl suggests we imagine this moment has passed, forced to deal with the negative consequences of not being more conscious of what we were doing.

This is why the research on Future Self is so compelling. Being connected allows you to better comprehend and appreciate the goldmine of this moment, right here. Seeing your current life through the eyes of your Future Self, you see opportunities you were previously blind to. If you stay connected with your Future Self, you’ll value your present.

What about you? If your Future Self—20 years from now—had a conversation with you, what would they say?

How would your Future Self view your current situation?

How differently would you act with your Future Self in mind?

THE PROMISE OF THIS BOOK

In the pages that follow, you’re going to learn how to be your Future Self now. As your Future Self now, you can create the life you want.

MrBeast’s enormous success came as the result of his commitment toward his desired Future Self. His courage led to consistent, deliberate practice, which is the systematic way to develop expertise in anything.⁵⁶,⁵⁷ To do deliberate practice requires being deliberate toward a specific goal. Like MrBeast, have a clear view of your Future Self.⁵⁸

Author and philosopher, Dr. Stephen R. Covey, said, “Mental creation always precedes physical creation.”⁵⁹ Anyone who has created something substantial did so by seeing it in their mind first, then working toward the image. As they took steps forward, their vision clarified, expanded, and evolved.

Even the Bible describes, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”⁶⁰ Whoever you’re being, right now is the evidence of your Future Self. Your level of faith in and commitment toward your Future Self is evidenced by everything you do, and every thought you think.

Once you are clear and committed, everything will filter through your goal—what psychologists call selective attention.⁶¹

You see what you’re looking for.

You see what you care about.

What you focus on expands.

The father of American psychology, William James, put it this way:

Not only do you see what you’re looking for, but you act toward what you most want and have decided will be yours.

Faith is a principle of action and power.

By faith, you can move mountains, put a man on the moon, make millions, and heal impossible maladies. To exercise this level of faith, fashion a vision of what you want. In the words of American author Florence Shinn, “know you’ve already received and act according.”⁶³

• Know that whatever you want is already yours.
• Act as though everything you want can and will be yours.

The truth is, we all are already doing this right now. The challenge is to hone the future we envision for ourselves. We’re being driven by our views of the future.

Why that particular future, the one you’re currently committed to?

What if you chose something else?

What if you committed to what you truly want?