For the past 28 years, I have worked with the metaphor of the optimal future self as a way to tap into my own potential and that of the people I’ve worked with over these years.  One of the most powerful experiences I’ve had with this metaphor has been to experience a source of constant support when I’m frightened or unclear about what’s happening in my life.

The optimal future self is a metaphor – a symbolic representation – of the best potential available to you.  According to quantum physics, there are many possible futures hanging around out there and, over these 28 years, I have found it beneficial to constantly attune myself to the *best* future available to me.  It’s not a conscious construction of “what do I want to be when I grow up.”  Instead, it’s a felt-sense experience of allowing the best in me to greet me and guide me forward, even if I have no image or other awareness of the presence of this guiding essence.

I bring the optimal future self into these experiments at this point in time because of the uncertainty about the future that we all face at present.  This is a powerful time to make choices about where we focus our energy and attention, and I want to invite you to have – as one option – the possibility of orienting yourself to the best life and self-expression that’s available to you, even if you have absolutely no sense of what that might be or how it might unfold.

And so, for this week’s experiment, I invite you to allow yourself to say “yes” to your optimal future, even if you have no idea what that will be or how you will get there.  Over the years, I’ve noticed the deep power of saying “yes” to my own potential, and I want to invite you to do the same.  It doesn’t matter what you think you can do or how shy you might be about considering the fact that there is a more powerful and positive future available to you.

Part of this experiment is to allow yourself to imagine that your optimal future self puts a hand on your shoulder – both in reassurance and as a guiding touch.  It’s helpful to notice how it feels in your body as you imagine this supportive hand on your shoulder, if it’s okay for you to explore this possibility.

Another way to touch into the optimal future self is to imagine that this part of you sends a line of light from his or her heart into your heart.  This is both a lifeline and a line of communication – heart to heart – that can support and guide you.

These two ways of connecting to your optimal future self don’t require you to have an image of this part of you.  The most important thing is to experience the essence of the presence of a part of you that has already moved through all the challenges or opportunities you currently face, and has come out the other side as a more mature, evolved, and fully-expressed you.

As part of this week’s experiment, I invite you to spend a moment each morning consciously and willingly saying “yes” to the best in you, to hold an active willingness to be the best you can be, without giving it any conscious thought, without having to plan it or guide it in any way.  What you may notice is that opportunities appear and you feel moved to say “yes” in ways you might not have done before, or you may feel a depth of comfort that surprises you.