Be Your Future Self Now

About the Author

Dr. Benjamin Hardy is an organizational psychologist specializing in entrepreneurial courage, transformational leadership, and exponential growth. While working on his Ph.D., Hardy ran an online training program and was a blogger with a readership of over 100 million. Since his graduation in 2019, Hardy has published multiple books, including "Personality Isn’t Permanent," "Willpower Doesn’t Work," and "Slipstream Time Hacking." He has also co-written several books with entrepreneurial coach Dan Sullivan, including "The Gap and The Gain," "Who Not How," and "10x Is Easier Than 2x." Hardy’s work focuses on helping individuals and organizations unlock their full potential through psychological insights and practical strategies.

Main Idea

The central premise of "Be Your Future Self Now" is that true success requires living up to your full potential by becoming the highest version of yourself, or your "future self." Hardy argues that anything short of this is a form of failure. To achieve this, you must know exactly who your higher self is, identify the big, life-changing goals that will get you there, and dedicate yourself to those goals above everything else.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction - The Importance of Your Higher Self
2. Chapter 1 - When You Lack a Clear Vision, You Become Unproductive
3. Chapter 2 - How to Become Your Higher Self
4. Chapter 3 - Clearly Identify Your Higher Self and How to Become Them
5. Chapter 4 - Prioritize Your Higher Self Daily
6. Chapter 5 - Seek Out Beneficial Environments
7. Chapter 6 - Have an Empowering View of Life and Fate
8. Conclusion - Applying the Principles to Real Life

Introduction - The Importance of Your Higher Self

Hardy begins by emphasizing that the true measure of success in life is reaching your full potential, or becoming the highest version of yourself. He argues that to attain this goal, all your present actions must move you toward becoming your higher self in some way, big or small. It’s crucial to identify your higher self as soon as possible because your goals and desires for the future drive your present actions. With a clear and ambitious vision of the person you want to become, you’ll take productive actions in the present that will benefit you over time and move you toward becoming that self.

"The true measure of success in life is reaching your full potential." - Dr. Benjamin Hardy

When You Lack a Clear Vision, You Become Unproductive

Hardy explains that lacking a clear, ambitious vision of your higher self causes two main types of unproductive behaviors that prevent you from reaching your full potential: engaging in instant gratification and non-crucial activities. Instant gratification involves choosing activities that are enjoyable in the moment but have no long-term benefit or a negative long-term effect. Non-crucial activities, on the other hand, feel rewarding temporarily but don’t move you toward becoming your higher self.

For example, playing video games instead of working on a project that aligns with your higher self is instant gratification. Similarly, focusing on improving your chess skills instead of building a portfolio for your desired career as a graphic designer is engaging in non-crucial activities.