The Art of the Handwritten Letter: Part Four — A letter to Yourself
Please do this for yourself. Pick out some stationery that you love. Put your phone down, shut down your computer, turn the TV off and get to your quiet place. You are going to write a letter to yourself. It is called “A Year From Now”. It is my belief that one of the most important and impactful letters that you may ever write, is one to yourself. Now, grab your favorite pen, sit down and start writing. Think about your life a year from now. How do you want it to look, feel, be?
I am suggesting that you consider nine domains of your life. In your letter, describe how you want these areas of your life to be in one year.
Family: Regardless of the makeup of your family, what is your best vision of how it takes shape over the next twelve months? It may be as simple as having a healthy family that communicates well and appreciates one another. Or, maybe there are some ‘fences that need mending’ and you are going to play a positive and active role to help your family achieve that outcome.
Friends and Affiliations: Jim Morrison, the American singer, and songwriter once said, “A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself.” This is so true. I urge you to surround yourself with supportive and inspiring friends who admire your authenticity. I have come to know that friendship is like gardening. Both require nurturing, devotion and persistence.
If you walk into a room full of 5 year old’s and ask, “who is an artist?” every single child jumps up and down and declares that they can draw anything and they gladly grab their crayons and create masterpieces. If you walk into a room of adults 25 years of age and older and ask them the same question you see panic in their eyes. Some duck under the table, some make a beeline for the door, some break out into a full on sweat and a few shyly admit that they may have a little artistic talent. What happens to us? One day we are the next Picasso and before you know it we can’t even manage to muster up a half way decent stick figure on a napkin.
