How Your "Tomorrow Me" Can Help You Today!
By Maryanne Comaroto. Posted on .
Have you ever heard the phrase “Keep doing what you’re doing, get more of what you got,” made popular by Werner Erhard? Either way, you will soon see why this truth begs an introduction to what I call your “tomorrow me.” That’s the YOU that’s here today representing the you of tomorrow (and the next day, and so on). It’s the you that observes and reports on all the thoughts, feelings, actions and reactions you have today and will have to live with; the you that intervenes and tries to help you think them through and make the best choices and decisions.
When I first discovered my tomorrow me, she materialized as a small but firm voice in my head just after she watched me throw yet another coat on an already sizable pile of coats that my “oblivious, tired and procrastinating me” had made, and interrupted …”Ahem…do you really think your tomorrow me wants to hang those up?” I could almost see her with her hands on her hips giving me a little attitude. I thought, My what? “That’s right, you heard me, your tomorrow me. The me that will be having to hang up these same coats tomorrow!” I thought, Now that’s brilliant (or insane), my tomorrow me is here to help me manage my life. How cool…I think? On the one hand, I needed help: on the other hand I kinda liked the part of me that had dominated up until this point…you know, the part that is quick to come up with a good story or rationalization for why you do what you do and how you will worry about that (or whatever) tomorrow! Well, whether I liked it or not the party was over, fortunately; and yes, unfortunately for my inner procrastinator/victim/rationalizing avoider.
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I wasn’t unfamiliar with the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over (and, in my case, over again) expecting a different result, which is why I suspect my tomorrow me materialized to help. Or maybe it was because I was exhausted trying to control everything in my life, over-committing, overextending, people-pleasing, etc, piling things on my tomorrow me. Not coincidentally, given my recent surrender (another blog), this little, steady, fierce voice appeared seemingly out of nowhere. I had heard the voice before, but I mostly ignored it or found ways to drown it out. A Divine gift, if you think about its sudden appearance and volume.
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Since then it has served my highest self at every turn. And I notice that it works sort of like a hummingbird. It can move backwards and forwards. It can move into the past and show me my behavior and patterns and illuminate how it (fill in whatever) didn’t serve me then, and then into the future and show me the logic of how it won’t serve me tomorrow either, if I do it now. And when it comes to dating and relationships I can’t say enough about my tomorrow me. Boy, nowhere near enough. I have been rescued time and again by its steady reminders to think this or that through. While I didn’t always (and sometimes still don’t) listen, it is always spot-on with good, sound advice, and over time I have learned to trust this part of myself, the inner loving me that is looking out for my best interest, large and small!
Here are a few practical ways you can get acquainted and partner with your tomorrow me:
