Personal Practice
Who You Are
Your identity isn't fixed - it's a living experiment.
Who will you become?
“The best way to predict the future is to create it - and that starts with creating yourself.”Frederik G. PferdtAuthor, What's Next Is Now
Understand · Apply · Deepen
Three Lenses
From fixed to fluid
From "I am who I've always been" → To "I am who I choose to become"
The most future-ready people treat identity as a practice, not a fixed state. Every day is a chance to rewrite your story - not by erasing the past, but by choosing which chapters to write next.
Letter from your future self
15 minutes. One letter. A new perspective.
Write a letter from yourself five years from now. What would future-you tell present-you to start doing today? What would they tell you to stop worrying about? This exercise bridges the gap between who you are and who you're becoming.
15 minutes. One letter. A new perspective.
Growth mindstate changes outcomes
Stanford University - Carol Dweck's research
Dweck's decades of research demonstrate that people who believe their abilities can be developed consistently outperform those who see them as fixed - in academic achievement, workplace performance, and resilience through setbacks. Your mindstate is not destiny.View source research
Stanford University - Carol Dweck's research
From fixed to fluid
The Mindstate Shift
From "I am who I've always been" → To "I am who I choose to become"
The most future-ready people treat identity as a practice, not a fixed state. Every day is a chance to rewrite your story - not by erasing the past, but by choosing which chapters to write next.
Letter from your future self
Try This Today
Try This Today
15 minutes. One letter. A new perspective.
Write a letter from yourself five years from now. What would future-you tell present-you to start doing today? What would they tell you to stop worrying about? This exercise bridges the gap between who you are and who you're becoming.
Growth mindstate changes outcomes
The Research
The Research
Stanford University - Carol Dweck's research
Dweck's decades of research demonstrate that people who believe their abilities can be developed consistently outperform those who see them as fixed - in academic achievement, workplace performance, and resilience through setbacks. Your mindstate is not destiny.
From the Practice
Frederik's NEXTletter
Stories, experiments, and perspectives to deepen this practice.
“Still. Shy. Dreamy. Too quiet. Too sensitive. Too different. A kid from Lake Constance. I wanted to be a chef. No one took me. No experience. So I crossed the lake to study. For me, it felt like a world trip. Today, I live in the forests of Santa Cruz with my family in two geodesic domes.”
Coming Home Is Never Just Coming Back
Read in NEXTletter“Use your non-dominant hand for one week. Brush your teeth with it. Unlock your phone with it. Write a note with it. Notice what happens. Your dominant hand is confident. Efficient. On autopilot. Your non-dominant hand is awkward. Slow. Uncertain. Curious. That’s the point. This practice isn’t about dexterity. It’s about identity.”
How to Train Yourself to Be Fearless – and Become Ready for Whatever Comes Next
Read in NEXTletter“It’s the threshold between who we are and who we could become: the place where familiar discomfort quietly wins over unfamiliar possibility.”
Why We Hold Onto the Familiar – and What Becomes Possible When We Don’t
Read in NEXTletterListen and Watch
Go Deeper
Becoming Future You with Suzy Welch
How to bridge the gap between who you are today and who you want to become. Suzy shares frameworks for intentional identity design.
More Episodes
Keep Exploring
Other Topics
Practice All Six Strengths
Six strengths. One deepening practice. Begin with Frederik's online course.