# Stadium of selves Imagine you're writing in a vast stadium. But this isn't just any stadium—it's filled with every version of yourself that has ever existed and will exist. Your eager 10-year-old self sits in the front row, eyes wide with curiosity. Your 20-year-old self is there too, full of dreams and ambitions. Your future self from next year is taking notes, while your self from a decade ahead is nodding in appreciation. Each word you write echoes through this stadium of selves, reaching across time to inform, inspire, and connect with every version of you. Your past selves learn from your current wisdom, while your future selves gather insights from your present experiences and reflections. This metaphor has been particularly resonant for me lately. Looking back at the past few weeks, I've faced various challenges that each version of myself would handle differently: - My past self would have been devastated by a stolen wallet - My present self handled it calmly, taking systematic action - My future self will be better prepared The same goes for my recent illness after overindulging—a reminder that some lessons need to be learned repeatedly, as each version of ourselves sometimes needs to experience things firsthand to truly understand. When facing challenges, I've started asking myself three important questions: - What would my past self need to hear right now? - How would my future self want me to handle this? - What wisdom can I capture for my future self? One thing that's become increasingly clear to me is that knowledge doesn't just grow linearly—it compounds through connections. This is why I'm so passionate about Personal Knowledge Management. Each note, each insight, each experience builds upon the previous ones, creating a deeper understanding that benefits all versions of ourselves. As I wrote in one of my recent notes: [[Knowledge doesn't just grow linearly. It compounds through connections]]. This is particularly true when we think about our different selves through time. Each version of us adds layers of understanding, creating connections that weren't visible before. The Stadium of selves idea transforms how we think about our mental playground: - **Past selves can learn from your current wisdom** – As you document insights and lessons learned, they become available not just to your future self, but conceptually to all the past versions of you that never had access to this knowledge - **Present self can integrate wisdom from multiple time periods** – You can simultaneously draw on the enthusiasm of your younger self, the experience of your current self, and the aspirations of your future self - **Future selves receive a rich inheritance of your current thinking** – The thoughts, ideas, and connections you capture today become a gift to the person you'll become tomorrow - **Different selves can dialogue with each other** – You can explicitly write from the perspective of different versions of yourself, creating a multi-dimensional conversation that generates unique insights - **All your selves collectively contribute to a unified wisdom** – The stadium becomes a collaborative thinking space where each version of you adds unique value The PKM playground makes this concept tangible and practical. As you create and organize your notes, you're not just storing information—you're facilitating a conversation across time between all versions of yourself. Each entry, connection, and synthesis becomes available to every version of you, creating a continuous dialogue that enhances your thinking in ways that would be impossible otherwise. Each word you write echoes through this stadium, reaching across time to inform, inspire, and connect with every version of you. Your knowledge doesn't just grow linearly—it compounds through connections, creating a network of understanding that benefits all your selves across time. ## Related - #todo link [[2024-01-08-knowledge-through-time]]