Dear Future Me

Its hard to get away from bad movie spin-offs that cue up when you hear this question–imagining Marty McFly racing in via the Delorian to deliver the letter from the you of the past.

But set Michael J. Fox and his skateboard aside for the moment.

In 2004, I wrote myself such a letter when I signed my first book contract.

It said, among other things:

Don’t ever fall for the lie of Christian celebrity-dom. Writing a book doesn’t make you better and it sure as heck doesn’t make you holy; it just makes you another flawed person who managed to write a book. If you happen to forget this as people are asking you to sign books some day, go home and do your laundry and clean up after Wrigley (my manic Jack Russell terrier) and remember that your normal life, with the real qualities of family and friends, is the more extraordinary one.

And remember that at the end of your life, you won’t wish you signed more autographs, you’ll wish you made deeper connections; you’ll wish you erred on the side of loving people as generously as you could.

Not long after, I was speaking at a conference and when I walked into the dining hall for lunch after a keynote, people applauded me from their tables. I was both affirmed and horrified.

So I went home to the place where no one applauds what I say or claps for me as I eat, and I read this letter from the Sarah of the past.

I’m not gonna lie. It was nice to re-center. That girl was one smart cookie. ;)

So what about you? What would you say to your future self?

Go to www.futureme.org to write a letter that will be emailed to you at a future date of your choosing.