I’m gonna sit right down and write myself a letter

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I’m gonna sit right down and write myself a letter
And make believe it came from you

Once upon a time

Going through some old papers the other day I found a note I wrote myself a long time ago. It was a full foolscap page long and addressed my then personal issues at an unhappy time for me. I had forgotten all about doing this.

I had written this note to myself as though I were an onlooker or outsider trying to help, trying to give myself an unbiased perspective. Looking back, I have to say that what I had written to myself was very sensible. I think it made me feel better then and helped me to deal with the problems. Certainly I ended up taking action and resolving them.

Useful habit (as the monk said on a chilly day)

Writing letters to myself has become a habit though. Since I have been in business on my own account I have written other notes to myself, listing up problems I thought I had and then writing down possible solutions. It is different from having a business plan, though I do think that we should regularly write down our objectives and check regularly to see how we are doing.

So, I write or type the problem, or list of problems. I then give the answers as I can think of them. That may be almost straight away or it may be later on. Writing something down crystallizes it in the mind. The answer usually crystallizes itself pretty soon afterward. The Eureka moment generally comes

If it doesn’t, and you have no inspiration, you have clarified the problem in written form and can take it to a business confidante for some advice. Mostly I find that I solve the problem myself, or otherwise I know whom to ask or what service to buy in.

We are all different. Most of us whether start-ups or old hands like me will find a self-addressed letter useful. Sometimes we just have to learn what we need by seeing it in print even if we wrote it ourselves like the songwriter. When did you last tell yourself a few home truths?

Reference:

I’m gonna sit right down and write myself a letter – Billy Willams

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