🪄 Be your own genie

One of my favorite things to do with myself is a future map 🗺️. A chance to look at my goals and improve upon them? To use colorful post-its and listen to great music? Sign me up.

This activity and the intentionality behind it has helped me tremendously. Looking back at my map from 2017, it’s wild to see wow, I wanted to become a senior software engineer, build an app with sentiment analysis (which got featured on the BBC!), and create my own business. I actually did it and had hoped for it years earlier.

First let me break down future mapping for you.

🪄A future map is an exercise to reflect on what you really want. It’s a chance to be your own genie, if you will. You list out all your ✨wishes✨ and then decide how to grant them. No matter how small or GINORMOUS or silly. It’s just for you.

The best parts of future mapping ✨

• A chance to reflect. How have things gone so far? How do you feel about your progress? Are there certain areas of life that need more attention or that you’re particularly interested in? For example, maybe your aspirations are about running a 5k or getting certified for yoga, whereas there are less goals in career. For me I realized, damn, I love public speaking and sharing stories, so I spent time creating more of these opportunities.

• Maybe you’ll unearth something excitingly unexpected. Or something you were afraid to admit you always wanted to do.

• A chance to move forward. Great! Now we know📍 where you want to get to. Now we can focus on getting there.

How to do a future map

• Give yourself 1-2 hours of me-time.

• Get a stack of post-its. At least 50 of them (yes, 50!).

• Get a sharpie, a timer.

• Play music that’ll make you feel warm and creative. 🎵 I’ve created a Spotify playlist for this very occasion.

Ok, let’s g-o! ✨

🪄 Write down every. single. wish. (30 minutes)

• Write down each wish, one per post-it. And, kick judgment out of the room while you’re at it. There’s no right way.

• Keep going until the timer ends.

🗺️ Map it out (15-30 minutes)

Look at everything you’ve written! Each post-it. And see if you can group them together by categories. Categories can be conventional, like work, relationships, etc. or whatever makes sense for you.

✍️ Questions for reflection (30 minutes)

• What surprised you about this exercise?

• What is an area you feel fulfilled and satiated in? Are there any areas that need more love?

• What was something you already knew to be true?

• Which wishes do you definitely want to achieve?

• Which feel scary? Why?

• Are there any wishes you want to come true in the near future?

Based on your map, you have an opportunity to carve a path forward. What are the next steps to making this wish into a reality?

Lemme know how future mapping went for you. Whether you do your future map or are just excited about it, I wanna hear all about it. Send me your future maps!

And, if you’re curious about coaching and how you can make more of your wishes a reality, I’ve got you. Sometimes figuring out the next steps can be tricky. Book a free consultation with me.

A look at how funky mine turned out in 2016 and 2018.

Rooting for you,

Sarah

🎵 grooving to this future mapping playlist

Start With Hello is a letter of quips, tips, and stories for the always curious. It’s written by Sarah, a coach, software engineer, founder, and Sushi Go aficionado. I offer 1:1 coaching for women in tech and if you’re in a rut, I’ve got you - book a consultation. Please pass this along to a friend if they’d find it interesting AND have a brilliant day⚡️.