Hello, and welcome back to the Thoughts that Bind! Today, we’re revisiting a series that everyone loved, letter-writing! If you’re interested in reading the introduction to the concept of letter writing, you can find it here. But for now, we’re going to dive right into the matter at hand.

   It’s okay to admit it, not everyone has an undying sense of self-confidence. Self belief, we have learned, is hard to come by. Our experiences teach us this indescirminately, alongside the things that our brains convince us of. And yet, we still know that believing in ourselves is instrumental to achieving our goals and living a fulfilling and enriching life. So where do we go from there? 

   I think the solution is multi-faceted. It’s important to build a self that we can be proud of and excited by, through exploration and managing our habits. And if you’re interested in these topics, you can find them here and here, respectively. But what I want to give you today is a quick exercise that will help you take stock of yourself today, and help chip away at the voices in your head that continually tell you you’re not good enough. Yes, that’s right. We’re going to write another letter.

Letter of personal awesomeness

   We’re going to write a letter detailing all the amazing things about you. Some people call it writing your own commercial, or making an elevator pitch for yourself. But I like to call it a letter of personal awesomeness. And in it, you’re going to detail all of the amazing things about you. 

   It may help to brainstorm first, to get you in the right headspace. This brainstorming will be particularly important if you’re in the habit of negative self-talk. The idea is to keep pushing against these harsh ideas until you feel more positive towards yourself and the task–really push yourself to keep finding cool, interesting, admirable things about yourself. The more the better. Here are some ideas.

What are some things that you have accomplished in your life? 

   Have you ever won a competition or gotten a promotion? Did you audition for something even though you were nervous? When is a time that you really decided to take on the world and go after what you wanted?

What are your talents?

   Perhaps you’re really good with words or sports. Maybe you know more than anyone else about computers or history. Maybe you have an affinity for the arts. Think of your hobbies and personal projects that you enjoy and the growth you’ve had in them, as well. These are wonderful things to highlight.

Have you ever made an impact on someone else?

   Another lovely thing to look back on is when you’ve nurtured a connection with someone or changed their life for the better. Have you made someone smile or laugh at a joke you told? Maybe you gave some good advice one time that set someone on the right path in life. Or maybe you sat with someone who really needed company until their tears subsided. You may have even left more abstract footprints on people and their lives by volunteering, creating something, giving to a community. All of these are things to be mentioned and honored about yourself.

What is admirable about you?

   This last category may seem pretty subjective, and I’ll admit, it may be. However, there are many things about you that are admirable. Things that you try to foster in yourself and your life. And this is the time to give yourself credit for that. What are some character traits about you that more people should strive for? Are you brave, kind, confident? Are you clever, resourceful, systematic? Write it all down. We spend a lot of time taking stock of our flaws, but hardly any acknowledging our strengths. So acknowledge every great thing about you, because not everyone has your brain and heart. 

Write the letter

   So once you’ve gotten in the mindset of thinking about all the great things about you, it’s time to put them together and make your very own letter of personal awesomeness. My favorite way of doing this is starting it out addressed “To Whom It May Concern” and continue in third person, just like you would be writing a letter of recommendation for someone else. This gives you the little bit of distance from yourself to be able to write this sort of letter without feeling embarrassed.

   Tell this person all about the wonderful individual that is the subject of this letter. The glowing things about their personality, their efforts, and accomplishments. Really take time to flesh out the ideas and details that lie within and don’t stop until it’s truly complete. If you wish, you may sign it as follows “Sincerely, someone who knows” or “Sincerely, an important reminder”. And then go ahead and set the letter down. 

After you’ve finished

   Take some deep breaths, and bask in the experience. Think about any feelings or thoughts that might have come up during the exercise, and reflect on where they came from. Remember that your flaws don’t negate your talents and beauty. 

   And then, once you’ve steeped in reflection and emotion, take a look around you. Ground into the present moment, your day, your life. I wonder what sort of life you can create with this new, latent perspective. But we’re not done yet. It’s time to read the letter. 

   You see, someone wrote a letter to you- whom it may concern. Believe me, it concerns you. And if you don’t have the time right now, set it aside for later, when you can really absorb it in its entirety. Because this letter is one of the most important things you could possibly read. It concerns you and your life. So read it. Slowly. Seriously. And learn from this version of you, whenever you possibly can. Thanks for reading. Have a great day.