Debbie Millman, designer and author, was a guest on the Tim Ferriss podcast that I listened to this week. After multiple rejections in her career and overcoming a traumatic childhood, she wrote six books, co-founded the world’s first masters in branding program, started one of the world’s first podcasts entitled Design Matters, and was the editorial and creative director of Print Magazine for a time (a magazine which was in print from 1940 to 2017).
She mentioned that one of the things she has asked of her students over the years is to write, “Your Ten-Year Plan For A Remarkable Life.” This is something she learned as a student of Milton Glaser (who created the I Heart NY campaign which I remember vividly from my childhood.)
In 2017 on Tim’s podcast Debbie said, “So, let’s say it is winter, 2027. What does your life look like? What are you doing? Where are you living? Who are you living with? Do you have pets? What kind of house are you in? Is it an apartment? Are you in the city? Are you in the country? What does your furniture look like? What is your bed like? What are your sheets like? What kind of clothes do you wear? What kind of hair do you have? Tell me about your pets. Tell me about your significant other.
Do you have children? Do you have a car? Do you have a boat? Talk about your career. What do you want? What are you reading? What are you making?
What excites you? What is your health like? And write this day, this one day ten years from now. So, one day in the winter of 2027… what does your whole day look like? Start from the minute you wake up, brush your teeth, have your coffee or tea, all the way through until when you tuck yourself in at night. What is that day like for you? Dream big. Dream without any fear. Write it all down. You don’t have to share it with anyone other than yourself. Put your whole heart into it and write like there’s no tomorrow. Write like your life depends on it because it does. And then, read it once a year and see what happens. It’s magic.”
She said so much of her letter came true and she has heard similar stories from several of her past students.
I just love this so much and plan to write this letter to myself later today about the fall of 2030. And then I’m going to see what happens.
Will you join me?