A Letter for 2025 Jun Guang

Hello Year 2025 Jun Guang. How are you?

I hope that you are doing awesome and that the climate is not changing drastically.

Do you remember back in 2020 when the year was so bleak? It started with a very bad forest fire in Australia and, later, a pandemic that caused economic uncertainty. My job wasn’t secure. And to make matter worst, there were many upcoming big-ticket items like renovation and wedding preparation.

But there were many things to be grateful for. Just so many. At least amid a health crisis, my loved ones are healthy. The lockdown also forced me to save more money, rekindled my relationship with my brother. And, I am so proud that I am…

Writing a letter to your future self. Why is it important?

These days, you hardly write letters to your friends and family because of high-speed communication like instant messaging. Needless to say, writing a letter to yourself. But there are benefits to it, regardless of your age or phase of life.

#1 It allows reflection

When I opened my letter written in 2015, I was surprised by how much I had changed. Reading your letter allows you to assess and reflect on the things that align (or don’t align) to your expectations. Often, your priorities change as you enter into a different phase of life or due to externalities. But most importantly, it allows you to pause and think about how you are doing and whether you are in the right direction in your life.

#2 Visualise your future

You may be at a point in your life that seems uncertain. You are unmotivated. Everything you do doesn’t seem to go your way. You feel that your best days are over.

This is where writing a letter helps get your thought out of the present and focuses on what is ahead for you.

Ask yourself, where will you be in five years? What do you hope to accomplish? Who do you want to become?

Be hopeful and forward-looking. Let your mind run enthusiastically. Be fearless of who you want to become. If you are interested to know how to manifest what you want in life and ignore your current reality, this blog here will be a great help!

#3 Cultivate gratitude and appreciate the passage of time

A key component of writing a letter is the expression of #gratitude to yourself. Use love language to reaffirm and appreciate the person you are. Thank yourself for all the hard work. Congratulate yourself for all the small wins. Even Snoop Dogg thanked himself when he was awarded a Hollywood star.

#4 Bring back memories

Just like how Facebook reminds you of your memories, letters can too. It provides you with a snapshot of your life at that point in time. Looking back gives a feeling of nostalgia. To me, there are no good or bad memories. They are just memories that made me realise how much I have changed. Every situation in life, be it good or bad, has some things to learn, which allows us to grow. And this is something you need to feel a sense of satisfaction and be proud of it.

There are a few things to include when you are writing a letter to yourself. This is ideal, not necessary.

#1 Summarise your current situation

Give a present context on your family, relationship, career or studies. Anything that shapes you today. Acknowledge your accomplishments made so far, be it big or small. Identify your personal values and beliefs, because such things will change as you progress through life. While writing down your current situation, remember to practice gratitude. Be grateful for who you are and where are you right now.

#2 Identify your strengths and weaknesses

Give some thought about what you are good at now to help you decide what you want to accomplish later in life. Recognise your skills and abilities, and at the same time, acknowledge your weaknesses. Knowing your weaknesses allow you to improve them. You may also include your fears or things that make you anxious about your future.

#3 Set goals

What are your goals and dreams for your future self? What does your ideal life look like? Be bold to #visualise it, then set ambiguous SMART goals. Your goals must not only be financially related. Life is not about money, and money is only a tool. Not an end goal. It should include goals on your relationship, spiritual or even entertainment like an exotic travel destination. You may also want to consider academic goals like learning how to code. Goals can consist of things that you want to stop doing. For me, my goal is to get my cloud computing specialist certificate, quit procrastinating and have more self-discipline!

#4 Give yourself advice

Identify the current issues you are struggling with and think about what advice you want to give to your future self. For example, my mandarin is terrible, and I always struggle to hold a proper conversion in mandarin. So I am advising myself to start reading more books and listen to more news in mandarin. Who knows, my future blog will be in mandarin.

Some final tips, when you write, allow yourself to write freely. Nobody is going to read this letter except yourself, so don’t worry about being judged. Use loving language, not something harsh. Have a little compassion for yourself. So whenever you read your letter, it should remind you of your worth and reassure yourself.

Writing letters is beneficial. They allow you to realise several things and make you more mindful of how you have changed. Reading all my letters reminded me of the past Jun Guang and made me appreciate how far I have come. Start writing your letter today!