With so much digital messaging and reliance on computers, when I saw that it was World Letter Writing Day, I embarrassingly was reminded of my neglecting letter writing. I love to write letters and I think it is a meaningful way to communicate to others and to lift spirits. But, as the digital world has overtaken the manual world of communicating—it seems that letter writing has become a casualty. I can only hope and endeavor that in my life that would not be the case.
As with many other high pay off habits—like physical fitness, prayer, or reading—it takes work and discipline to build this habit into your life.
Three ways to incorporate letter writing into my life are:
1. “Thank you notes”: I am actually inspired by Jimmy Fallon’s weekly sketch on the tonight show where he sits down to write his weekly “Thank you notes”. While he turns this practice into a recurring joke sequence, the thought of having a weekly “thank you note” writing time is a great idea to write a quick note to those that have done something positive for you during the week.
2. Encouragement or Get Well notes: One of the easiest ways to send encouragement to people who are sick or having a difficult time is to send a note. I think hand written notes have a powerful effect because they show a different level of commitment and planning. This is especially important to those that are having a difficult time. So, this is another area that I can improve.
3. Personal Updates: Since our society is a transient culture, I would like to occasionally send a quick note—outside of Facebook—to connect with them offline. The result is more personal connection than with the hundreds of social media interactions that are made.
So, I have my work cut out for me. I hope that you are having a great letter writing day and that you will also join me to send hand written letters to others in your life as well.
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Image from Stocksnap.io