Write a Letter to Your Future Self
Writing a letter to your future self can sound a little precious — until you actually do it. It isn't a diary. A diary records what already happened; this letter is addressed to someone who doesn't exist yet: the you of one year, five years, ten years from now. Somewhere in the writing, you'll catch yourself asking questions you never slow down for. What do I actually care about right now? Who do I hope that person becomes? What's the one thing only today's me can tell them? Plenty of people say they found their answer the moment they hit "seal." Below are real letters that writers chose to share with the world. Read a few — chances are you'll know exactly what you want to say.
Ideas to get you started
- Start with right now: today's date, where you're sitting, what just happened. The forgettable details are exactly what future-you will treasure.
- Ask your future self a few questions. Did you finally do the thing? Is that person still around? Questions travel through time better than statements.
- Include a promise or an inside joke only the two of you share. It'll land perfectly on opening day.
- Don't aim for polished. A rambling honest letter beats a tidy generic one every time.
Real letters from the vault
4433 public letters给进入职场一年的Xianming
Hello，你肯定已经忘了当年给自己寄过这封信了吧。现在的你已经在Oracle待了一年了吧，有努力去做Distributed System和High-speed Networking的项目吗？kk应该也已经毕业了吧，她在湾区找到工作了吗？你有很努力地与她共同成长吗？你们两个还在一
Xianming
2023.07.10
写给一周后的Xianming
Hello，这封信主要用来测试。看看这个系统到底能不能成功寄出去，也看看自己的记忆还能不能记得自己写过这封信。当时的你情绪非常复杂，因为要进入一个新环境，很焦虑；因为最近买家具一直在花钱，很心疼；因为和女朋友异地，很孤单。现在的你应该把所有家具都搞定了吧，新环境呆了一周是不是也有
Xianming
2023.07.10
写给职场三年的Xianming
Hello，这封信来自进入职场前一天的你哦。现在你抽到H1b了吗？其实我估计你没有抽到哈哈，你应该会打算去加拿大吧。这时你应该不在Oracle而在其他更好的公司了吧？你进入职场三年了，性格应该有了很大的改变了吧。还保有少年气和改变的勇气吗？当时的你觉得结婚和买房都不是必须的，你现
Xianming
2023.07.10
自己
嗨，25年26岁的宝贝，好奇你结婚了没，对方是胖是瘦，家境是否殷实，失眠啊宝，工资现在挣多少，啊哈？以前的你总是想着爱这个爱那个，现在你就爱自己就好，刚看了你写的信，以前的，护师已经拿到了啊歪，专升本也拿到了，车有了，不用自己搬东西，不需要淋雨了， 谈了几个狗仔子对象，老是失眠到
黏人的小章鱼
2023.07.24
写给三年后的你
嗨，我是24岁的刘文文，现在这封信寄给27岁的你，抱歉呀，选择了生日那天，有人陪你一起过生日吗？还是只把它当做平常的一天呢？ 祝你生日快乐呀！现在的我刚听完课，然后收到了曾经16岁刘文文寄来的信，所以我要发点小牢骚。 不得不说，现在的自己还不如高一的自己呢，她说：人生苦短，
文
2023.08.03
写给5年后的自己
2023年8月6号的上午，我在35mm的咖啡店，写下了我的10条人生清单，亲爱的，现在的你33岁，请告诉我这些清单我实现了哪些呢，还有一些28岁的我没有想到的改变吗不知道现在的你是不是向我期待的那样，富足，喜悦，松弛，自信无论如何，请你记得，对自己百分百负责现在，我们彼此给对方一
一只胖然
2023.08.06
2023.8.17
今天是2018年4月6日你收拾东西找到了2015年写给自己的信，学习很累对吧，没有忘记金珉锡对吧，瘦了吗？学习怎末样？我在幻想你再次打开这封信的样子，两年后或者十年后。你想考八大美院是吧，是不是很迷茫，每天上学周一到周五，周六要去画室，周日还要在学校住。是不是室友都很糟糕，忍一忍
浮世
2023.08.17
写给未来的…
Dear FutureMe, Merry Christmas!
n8544
2023.08.26
给未来的自己
保送成功了嘛~无论结果如何都不要灰心！如今没有的缘分，未来总有一日会达成的！如果成功啦，那就要好好珍惜这样的机会呀，继续加油，祝愿你与我身体健康，顺顺利利~！
n8546
2023.09.03
你好啊！两年后的乔麦麦
你好，乔麦麦！今天我闲着无事给自己写一封信，现在我和李君子的感情非常的好，她很照顾我的情绪。以后的我还有和李君子在一起吗？你有遵守给小李的信里的诺言吗？现在的我很幻想未来的我和李君子是怎样的，未来的我们会以什么方式分开呢，你的工作累不累，会不会很焦虑，没有李君子的你会不
别开我的叮叮车
2023.09.13
写给未来的我
现在的我，是否爱着一个人，是否陪在家人身边，是否做着自己喜欢的事？
过去的我
2023.10.02
hello，石秀城
不知道你开始你的计划了没，拖延心理除掉了吗，或者有女朋友了没，考试考过了吗，目标呢1.每天晚上不超过11点睡觉2.每天至少锻炼30分钟3.不挂科4.长高10厘米5.长胖6.改脾气7.少玩手机
n8561
2023.11.20
Frequently Asked Questions
How far ahead should I send it?
One year and five years are the most popular. For your first letter, go with one year — far enough to forget what you wrote, close enough to stay excited. Once you're hooked, try ten.
Can I reread my letter after sending it?
No. Once sealed, not even you can open it before delivery day. That's by design — so the surprise stays intact when it finally arrives.
How do I know I'll actually receive it years from now?
On delivery day you'll get both an email and a text message. Every letter also comes with a 6-digit claim code as a safety net — even if your contact info changes, the code gets you in.
Write a Letter to Your Future Self
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