Write a Letter
With the technology at our fingertips for communications, we have lost of art of writing a handwritten letter or note. This shift to electronic correspondence in our culture caused the magic of a personal message is lost in translation. When we physically put pen to paper, our emotions are transmitted to the page. That's why we treasure the fingerpaintings that are children created. It's not because these works of art are instant masterpieces; in-fact, they are worthless to everyone but you. I wanted to share a few exercises and best practices to regain the magic of writing a letter by hand.
Handwritten Notes
"People won't remember what you said or did, but they will remember how you made them feel." - Maya Angelou
Nothing shows your gratitude like a handwritten note. The next time you want to say thank you for someone's act of kindness, don't take the shortcut by sending a text message. Show someone how much you appreciate that person by writing a physical note and mail it. Make someone's day by surprising them with a handwritten letter.
A letter to your future self
Handwritten pages can also be a powerful visualization tool for personal growth. Write yourself a letter dated ten years from today. Imagine your dream life. Everything you are hoping for has come to fruition. Share in detail how it unfolded along with the emotions and gratitude in your heart. Be as specific as possible about your future life, and don't rush this exercise. This process is aligning your energy with the universe to manifest your future. Remember, by writing something down, we increase the probability of achievement by two-fold.
Letters to process anger/grief (burn baby burn)
The act of letter writing can also help in processing anger or resentment we hold in our hearts. Buddha said, "Holding on to anger is like holding a hot coal waiting to throw it at someone." Why carry around these emotions when it is only damaging ourselves? The final tool I wanted to share will help release that burden. Write a letter to the person you have the strongest negative emotion. Tell them exactly how you are feeling, what actions they took that caused you pain, or maybe they broke promises, commitments, or your heart. In detail, share exactly how you feel. Hold nothing back and be honest with your feelings. Get everything onto the page, and then burn it. Wait a week and write another letter to the same person, again writing out your feelings and burn that copy. With each iteration of the message, you will notice a shift in your mindset. Your first version might say something like, "you are the most selfish, cruel person I have ever known in my life" With each letter that goes into the flames, your negative energy is also burned so that the next letter will have less anger and more empathy. By the final message, the angry phrases will be replaced with thoughts like "I have so much empathy for the pain you are in."
The pen is mightier than the sword. Don't' underestimate the value of a handwritten message. Not only is it more meaningful to the recipient, but it can also be therapeutic to the author. Writing a letter takes a little bit longer than electronic forms of communication, but the ROI (return on investment) is exponential.
