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The Pull of Our Ideal Self: Why We Chase the Person We Could Be
Let your passion guide your pursuit of excellence
Ever catch yourself daydreaming about who you could become? I certainly do. Fantasy alone is worth the inexpensive investment of time and energy.
That vision of my “better self” has tugged at me for as long as I can remember — the version of me who wakes up early, never procrastinates, and always says the perfect thing in conversations. We all have this idealized version pulling us forward; there’s something almost magnetic about it.
The Appeal of the Ideal Self
I’ve been thinking about why this “ideal self” holds such power over us. It’s not just about self-empowerment—there’s something deeper happening when we imagine ourselves as superior in some fashion.
When I picture my ideal self, I see all my potential come to life. It’s the writer I believe I could be if I just committed more time to the task, the disciplined person who sticks to healthy habits for the long haul, or the successful version of myself who has conquered all those irksome insecurities.
This isn’t just a pipe dream— it’s a vision of what might be possible if everything aligned perfectly.
