This study examined community college students' future-related self-concept, termed "possible selves," in relationship to their current academic behavior with a focus on self-worth protective strategies. As demonstrated via hierarchical regression, possible selves added to understanding the students' self-protective behavior above and beyond their underlying motivation. Specifically, a balance between the students' hoped for and feared possible selves was related to a lower occurrence of the most detrimental of self-protective behaviors, self-handicapping. Further, a balance between hopes and fears was related to a higher occurrence of an effective strategy, reflectivity. Results provided partial support for the notion that possible selves serve as a cognitive link between motivation and behavior and could serve as a foundation for interventions. (Contains 1 figure and 1 table.)