Who is Canton, and why did he make this project?

Hello, brave adventurer!

Do you keep a diary or journal? If not, was there once a time when you did – perhaps before Facebook, before text messaging, before email? Are you interested in doing more chronicling or thought-keeping, either for yourself or your kids?

I created MyFutureSelf.com because I wanted an easy, private, inspirational and fun way to keep a private journal using the computer. I decided to release this service for free because I feel there's an urgent need to encourage more introspection and soul-seeking—not just "social sharing"—on the Internet.

I also wanted the computer to give me creative ways to review and explore what I write, like showing my diary entries as push-pins on a globe, or automatically grouping together entries according to the various people and places I write about. I wanted a journal that could help me to visualize the story of my life.

My Future Self is based on an idea I had in high school 22 years ago. It was 1990, so the idea was correspondingly low-tech:

"WHAT IF I started writing letters to be read by myself 10 years in the future? I could seal each letter, write today's date (plus 10 years) on the envelope, and keep the letters in a shoebox for safe keeping and eventual re-discovery."

Though I never followed through with the shoebox idea, friends have since given me back letters that I wrote to them in the 90's. Reading these old letters, I was glad to remember things I'd have otherwise forgotten. Some of the things I read changed my idea about who I was back then and even who I am today.

A related idea was shared by my friend Sawyer who told me he was keeping a journal for each of his daughters, to be given on their 18th birthdays. What a superb gift, to keep a record of our kids' lives so they can read about their early selves when they're grown-up.

All these ideas combined to make MyFutureSelf.com – a modern shoebox with unusually smart features for the journal writer. I hope you'll have a great experience writing in your journal and answering questions from Your Future Self. I appreciate you trusting me to keep your journal private and well-secured.

- Canton Becker
    October 2011