We don’t hear it often, but it’s there—a quiet, hopeful voice echoing from the future. It’s not asking us to achieve more, hustle harder, or fix everything. Instead, it’s offering a simple, profound plea: Enjoy where you are. Right now.
The Illusion of “When”
We live in a culture that thrives on forward motion. We’re constantly reaching for the next goal, the next milestone, the next version of ourselves. “I’ll be happy when…” becomes a silent mantra. When the job stabilizes. When the kids are older. When the house is finally bought. When the body is fitter. When the bank account is fuller.
But what if, in 10 years, the version of you with the job, the house, the stability, and even the gray hairs could speak to you now?
What if they didn’t ask you to move faster, but slower?
What if they reminded you that the in-between—the messy, uncertain, trying-but-hopeful moments—are the moments you’ll miss the most?
This Version of You is Worth Loving
Yes, you’re figuring things out. Maybe you’re healing. Maybe you’re building. Maybe you’re just holding it together. But this version of you is not a draft. It’s not a waiting room. It’s not a stepping stone.
It’s a full chapter.
Your future self might envy the laughter you have now, even if it’s rare. They might miss the tiny chaos of your current home, the way your child mispronounces a word, or the way you once looked in the mirror unsure but growing. They might long for the friendships you haven’t realized are golden yet, or the freedom you have to dream without the weight of what you later learn.
Practicing Present Joy
So how do we honor this unknown quote in our daily lives?
Pause and name the good. It might be small—a cup of coffee that hits right, a morning without rush, a text from someone you love. These are life’s secret jewels. Talk kindly to yourself. Your future self would likely speak to you with more grace than you allow. Learn to echo that tone. Mark moments, not just milestones. Don’t wait for a promotion or vacation to celebrate life. Celebrate quiet Tuesdays. Let “enough” be enough. For today, your efforts, your love, your presence—they are enough.
A Letter to Yourself
If you could sit with your future self—10 years older, wiser, and perhaps more sentimental—what would they say? Likely not: “Why didn’t you achieve more by now?” But more like: “I wish you smiled more. I wish you danced more. I wish you realized you were in a good part of the story.”
Let’s not wait 10 years to see it.
Your life today, with all its imperfections and waiting, is the dream of a former you—and the nostalgia of a future you. Don’t rush through it. Savor it. Live it fully.
Kenrick Vaz 