I recently tried the “day in your future life” trend with chatGPT, and it painted a picture of me in a New York cafe, pursuing an MBA and a consulting project side-by-side whilst giving guest lectures on technology through a sociology lens. And it surprised me that the only thing appealing about a day in my future life was the idea of me “back at the apartment, settled into bed, already thinking about tomorrow’s plans, the challenges, and the next coffee waiting for you in the morning.” It’s my third year of undergraduate studies, and I can safely say I know absolutely nothing about what I want to pursue ahead or where my career is headed or what I envision for myself in 5 years. Every day is daunted by the idea of going through that horrible process of filling applications and worrying about entrance tests, letters of recommendations, a glowing CV and loads of certificates. Or the loaded question of job vs masters. And god knows I’m not ready to face the fact that I might have to look for a job- that’s far too grown up for my 2005 ass. I can barely wake up to my alarms, much less file taxes.
But this chatGPT response opened my eyes to a lot of things. As much as the idea of being a corporate girl taking the world by a storm and making millions seems amazing, the only aspect of my future life that seemed appealing was the only thing taken from my present. No matter where I am, the best part of my day is moments before I fall asleep, planning my alarms (and ways around my roommate’s) and schedule and dreaming about the coffee I’ll make in the morning. That made me wonder if it’s time for me, and maybe all of us, to take a step back. I know I tend to rant a lot about staying in the present in my her campus articles but let this serve as a reminder to take a deep breath before we begin our journeys to take the world by a storm. The idea is to take everything step by step and not lose ourselves to the process. Maybe stop focusing so much on where we will be in 5 years and focus on making the next five years worthwhile.
For me, it’s my next cup of coffee, for you it might be your two hours in the gym, or half an hour of a skincare routine. Think about one thing you do in a day that you would love to see continued in a day in your future life and make sure to keep having these little things that keep you happy. After all, what’s the point of a future that doesn’t make you happy?