All reflections · November 6, 2026

Your future self will also need an ordinary life.

By Charles Botensten · iCharles

The future you imagine may be full of milestones and strangely empty of laundry, fatigue, meals, and people needing things. It is easy to promise that version of yourself a demanding life. They never seem to have an ordinary Wednesday.

Include ordinary conditions when you picture success. Where do you rest? What keeps running when you are ill? Who gets your unhurried attention? A future worth building needs room for the person who will actually have to live there.

Your future self will also need an ordinary life.

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