How often do you find yourself frustrated by minor inconvenience or small setbacks? Maybe it’s a rude comment from a colleague, a traffic jam on your way to work, or a spilled coffee on your favorite shirt. These daily frustrations can build up, leading to stress, gloom and despair. But what if there was a simple mental trick to help you deal with these frustration more easily?
Enter the “10-Year Question.”
The 10-Year question is a mental exercise that involves asking yourself a simple yet powerful question when faced with a daily frustration:
“Will this matter in 10 years time ?”
This powerful question can help you gain instant perspective on the true importance of the issue at hand. More often than not, you’ll find that the answer is a huge “no.”
Why 10 Years?
Ten years is a significant chunk of time – long enough for major life changes to occur, but not so distant that it’s impossible to imagine. It’s a timeframe that allows us to step back and assess the current moment from a bird\s-eye view. It helps you view your frustration from a broader perspective.
The Power of Perspective
When you start applying the 10-Year Question to your daily life, you may notice some surprising effects
- Immediate stress relief: Realizing that a current frustration is unlikely to have any long-term impact can immediately reduce your stress levels.
- Improved decision-making: This perspective can help you focus on what truly matters, leading to better choices in both personal and professional spheres.
- Enhanced resilience: Over time, you’ll likely find yourself becoming more resilient to minor setbacks and annoyances.
- Better relationships: By not dwelling on small issues, you may find your relationships improving as you let go of petty grievances.
- Increased focus on important goals: As you learn to dismiss trivial matters, you can redirect your energy towards long-term, meaningful objectives.
Applying the 10-Year Perspective
Here are some steps to help you incorporate this mindset into your daily life:
- Pause and breathe: When you feel frustrations building, take a moment to pause and take note of your breathing. Start with an exhale. Take out all the CO2 and imagine ridding your body of the toxic stress. Then aim to inhale deeper, for longer and a whole lot slower. Repeat this conscious breathing until your breathing pattern is relaxed and easy. It usually takes less than 20 seconds to get yourself breathing in this state.
- Ask the question: Will this matter in 10 years?
- Visualize: Try to picture yourself 10 years from now. Make that leap in time as real for your mind as possible. Note how old you and people from your family and friends would be. Imagine your life in 10 years time, from different perspectives. Your health, career, finances and social life. Visualize your life as you want it to be, 10 years from now.
- Reassess: Now based on your time travel 10 years into the future, decide whether this issue deserves your emotional and mental energy. How would you view this current situation from that vantage point?
- Let go or act: If it won’t matter in 10 years, practice letting it go. If it will still be important, consider what actions you can take now to address it effectively.
When Big Things Feel Small
It’s worth noting that this perspective can also apply to situations that feel significant in the moment but may not have long term significance. A missed promotion? A delayed project? Even a breakup might seem world-shattering now, but in 10 years, it could all be a mere stepping stones in your journey.
The Exceptions: When to Take Things Seriously
Of course, not everything should be dismissed with the 10-Year Question. Some issues – health concerns, major life decisions, or actions that could have long-term impact – do deserve your full attention. The key is to use this perspective as a good judgement tool, not as an excuse for indifference.
Cultivating Long-Term Thinking
As you practice this 10-Year Perspective, you may find yourself naturally shifting towards more long-term thinking in various aspects of your life. This can lead to:
- Healthier lifestyle choices
- Stronger, more meaningful relationships
- More intentional career decisions
- Better financial planning
- Presence and focus on the moments that matter.
A Path to Peace of Mind
By training your mind to constantly evaluate current events through the lens of the 10-Year question, you’ll likely find yourself letting go of small frustrations more easily. Over time, this habit can lead to a more peaceful, focused, and purposeful life.
Remember, most of life’s daily frustrations are just that – daily. They won’t follow you for a decade, unless you bring them along.
So the next time you feel your blood boiling over a minor issue, take a deep breath and ask yourself: “Will this matter in 10 years?” You might be surprised at how often the answer allows you to simply let go and move on.
