Monday 31 December 2007

Send one to yourself

For the year 2007, my resolution was to start a blog and maintain it. I think I have done considerably well; with a lot of effort I must say. I hope I will have the energy and time to continue this adventure beyond 2007. We shall see.

Anyway, for the new year; I would like to suggest that you do this simple exercise. All you have to do is to write a letter to yourself. Yes, a letter, the traditional version, one which relies on the forgotten ancient way of snail mail.

The content of the letter could be anything. Of course, most will prefer to write about your resolution for the coming year but you can also write about something deeper; perhaps your view of life at the moment. Perhaps you are in a state of confusion or in a situation where you intend to make choices, you could write about your deep inner feelings. After all, the letter will be read only by you. So really… it could be anything at all.

After you have written it, sealed it in an envelope completely and address the letter to yourself. Preferably, you should also affix the appropriate stamps required for the letter to the delivered to you.

How is the letter going to be delivered then? This is the interesting part……

You are to pass this letter to a friend, one whom you trust. Seriously, you really need to trust this person because not only must this person not read your letter. He or she must also remember to post this letter to you next year. You may set a different date but I think one year from now is pretty sufficient.

Trust me; you will be very surprise to receive the letter one year later. Best effect can be achieved when you have totally forgotten that you have written such a letter. And yes, though you think you will remember it, most of you would have forgotten you have written such a letter.

This letter-to-thyself exercise is very good for graduates. If you are graduating soon, write a letter to yourself with the dreams and vision you would like to achieve upon entering the working world. Reading your dreams and vision one year after can be a revelation, trust me on this.

Some tips on how to write a good piece would be of course, be honest with yourself. Another very interesting element is ‘feeling’. What do you feel about things right now? Be in touch with yourself, and you will be thrilled with the end result.

The most important thing is to pass to someone whom you trust and one who will send the letter back to you next year. Best if this someone is one whom you seldom meet.

This is by far one of the best things you can do for yourself for the new year. It’s also relatively easy. So what are you waiting for? Start writing now… trust me… it’s very fulfilling…

Happy New Year to you all…!

65 comments:

narrowband said...

This is not something new. Earlier last year there was a similar thing going on, I think it was a collaboration between Yahoo, Forbes and some other Internet giants - I really forgot the details. I only know that I participated in it because it was interesting, exciting and I know at the end of the day, it was going to be very fulfilling.

It was called a 'Time-Capsule', and all you need to do was write an email, and then 'submit'. You will have to provide your own email address as well (they even allowed you to enter a few, just in case the first email account has expired then. Then you get to choose to have that email sent back to you, after 5, 10 or 20 years... if I'm not mistaken. There were three choices to choose from, depending how long you want to 'seal' your 'time-capsule'.

I think I chose the 10 years one. And I wrote about my feelings, the surroundings and what I was seeing from where I was seated. I expect to receive this very same text after 10 years, in my inbox, and I am sure it will be interesting, then.

Medie007 said...

haha... i never heard anything abt tat pon... :) good to try i suppose, but yea, hard to get a friend who'd do that. most prolly ppl will lost the letter anyhow, i know i would, considering we're moving in august. :P

anyway, happy new year to u zewt! LOL

Kenny Mah said...

Hey Zewt!

Dropping by to wish you a Happy New Year and hoping all the best in 2008 for you and your family.

And stumbling upon this post makes me think. For I did once write a letter to myself, and it laid forgotten in a desk in my hometown for five years. When I found it earlier this year, it was indeed a revelation... how we change, especially the way we think.

So, I'm taking this as a cue to do it again, this time intentionally. You should post up a reminder a year from now asking for feedback on your readers' reactions reading their own letters... :)

Winn said...

to narrowband, but nothing beats snail mails..the sensation and excitement of receiving a physical letter and an intangible one is different..

zewt this is a great suggestion. i will try..tq and happy new year eve to u!

rainbow angeles said...

Zewt, excuse me, I say something to Winn first.. Winn!! But you dun open your mailbox oso...kakaka...

So Zewt, have you received your letter this year? :)

Happiest New Year to one and all!

Horny Ang Moh said...

I have thought of writting a letter to myself but always forgot to........Nice idea! Problem is who to 'post' the letter! Happy new year!

ZB said...

hmm.. might try that.
never did it before tho~

Anonymous said...

Would really try that but so far nobody i can trust right now..I'll see..

Happy New Year to you and wishing you all the best in year 2008!

Anonymous said...

I did the 1-year one before .. I don't know why , I felt it was embarrassing. Says something about my dreams huh ?

happy new year zewt

Anonymous said...

wow, good idea zewt!! i might just try it...did u write one for urself?

yea, i think i'll really do this! =p

it's great to receive a letter....

zewt said...

narrowband - well, like what winn said, nothing beats the feeling of receiving a snail mail. somehow, that feels better :) anyway, i think 5 or 10 years is a very major one. the one i am suggesting is more short term method. well, yours gonna be a good one i am sure. but it seems you still remember how it goes... defeats the purpose.

Ah-Bong - well, still worth a try. like i said... your friend must be very trustworthy.

Kenny Mah - you found it... wow, must have been a revelation uh... haha. yeah, do one thing year, i think it will be a very good one. i plan to do it, just dunno which friend i am supposed to ask to post it back to me. thanks for the wishes kenny.

Winn - indeed, the feeling of getting a snail mail is just too good :) do it! yes!

angeles - wah, tukar nama glamour eh? i didnt receive anything, but i might receive one next year :)

zewt said...

Hor Ny Ang Moh - you just have to find someone you can really poke... errr... i meam you can realy trust.

liyiesther.C - try it... the result is fantastic.

seokthong - i was wondering if i should get ppl to send their letter to me... haha... but i dont think i wanna reveal my address.

mr jp - well... we all learn along the way. so are u going to do it again?

lynnwei - hopefully your friend is trustworthy.

Sharon said...

sounds like a good idea but i think most my frens are as forgetful as me lol for all i know they could lose the letter :P

Helen said...

Happy New Year to you and wishing you a great and fruitful year ahead. lol

Angel Eyes said...

Happy New Year to you too!

Jorji said...

Heh..i respect u bcoz u can write (and have the time to write)everyday in yr blog..plus te comments!



Happy New Year!!!

ardy said...

That's an interesting idea! Can you be the one holding on to my letter then? At least I know you will remember to mail it in a year's time (since it's your idea in the first place) ;)

Happy New Year!!

rinnah said...

I like this idea but I think I will do it via email like narrowband. More reliable than a friend! Kakakaka.

Happy New Year 2008 to you, zewt, and all the best as you embark on a new phase of life with jules.

Tine said...

Ahh the time capsule. A great idea indeed. I wonder what I'd tell myself?

Happy New Year to you and Jules. Not long to go now ;)

Daniel said...

just drop by to wish u a Happy New Year 2008

Wuching said...

happy new year to you & your family ya!

Anonymous said...

Personally, I think you have done an magnificent job in fulfilling yor 2007's resolution.

Just look at the sitemeter. Happy New Year Zewt

Anonymous said...

The nearest to this idea was what my English teacher told us to do the first day of school in Form 4. We were told to write an essay to reflect the past year and to write something we wish to accomplish in the new year. She kept the essay and returned it by end of the year for our own self evaluation. I was shocked at the things I wrote.

ahjohn said...

zewt,

i suggest not to pass the letter to the partner, because if anything goes wrong in between, that letter can be anything-coming-bad by next year. you may not get back the letter posted, but maybe a box of maggots, siu-keong, or dead lizards...

so beware.. the person you love so often turn out the person you hate...

"omamee" said...

this surely is interesting. the only issue is... if i myself forget bout the letter, the probability of my friend forgetting it will also be very high... n since i have forgotten all about it in a year's time, there'd be no one to remind my friend... O_o?

Anonymous said...

Hhmmmph... can it be a timed e-mail instead of a letter? Hahah. Ah well, here's wishing you a great new year ahead!

Anonymous said...

even the goals and aims for the year that i wrote in the beginning of the year, and end of the year i read, it makes me realised how much i wanted to achieve and some i didnt manage....becoz forgotten along the way!

^^

warrior2 said...

Welcome to the new year of 2008.

May everyone`s life here is full of happiness and content!

Azlan Zed said...

happy new year, bro. :)

Sasha Tan said...

yo dude! happy New Year!

MikeM said...

happy new year mate... keep writing quality pieces ya... been an enjoyable read throughout 2007...

Terra Shield said...

Happy New Year, Zewt :)

zewt said...

Sharon - i just found a nice idea to do this. shall blog about this.

Helen - thanks helen.

Angel Eyes - and to you too.

j or ji - dropped a lot of hair bro... :P

ardy - can... i already thought of an idea. will blog about it.

rinnah - yeah, i am planing to do that. send all your letter to me in a password protected document.

zewt said...

Tine - tell me about it... stress.

Daniel - yo! thanks...

Wuching - same... and to your family too.

elviza - :)... you're too kind with your words.

lynnx01 - hmmm... if u think that is incredible... try writing one just before you start working.

ahjohn - definitely no partner... must be a buddy hehe.

"maemee" - well, u can send it to me via e-mail in a password protected document.

zewt said...

gina - can... i will blog about the scheme soon.

Lynnwei - truly a revelation huh :)

warrior2 - indeed... may everyone's life...

alan zed - same to you lan.

sasha - and to you dudette.

Michael Song - i will certainly try my best.

Terra Shield - same to you... long time didnt hear from u.

may said...

that's an interesting idea, I might try that next year... ;-)

Happy New and Blessed 2008 to you!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for dropping by and left a comment.

I've never heard of this activity, but I think it is interesting and easily done.

You too, have a prosperous and successfull 2008 year ahead. Happy New Year!

Maverick SM said...

Zewt,

Happy New Year! Keep blogging...have fun!!!

Anonymous said...

as the new year dawns...

cheers... to 2008 and another chance for us to have more... high hopes, new aspirations, lasting peace, tender loves and big big money.

zewt, and may you & to those who drop by here...

" may all of you be blessed with joys all through - happy new year"

Anonymous said...

this is a very interesting suggestion. i will endeavor to do it.

happy new year, zewt!

Anonymous said...

happy new year zewt ... cheers

rainbow angeles said...

I'll do a random act of kindness here. I offer to be the Sender. Anyone?

Happy 2008!

ps: Nama 'glamour' to be more anonymous. ;)

Winn said...

wahhaa, i say hi to angel 1st! hi angeles!!!

happy new new year to you zewt!
SOMEONE'd be more happy actually coz the petrol price gona increse again....blahhhh!!

Anonymous said...

Happy New Year!!! :)

Anonymous said...

This year is gone but it had also made us a little strong.
The path was long but we walked it with a song
There were fears and tears but we also had some reasons for cheers
Wishing you and your family a blessed new year

Cheers,

cibol

Carrie said...

Happy new year zewt. You have a cool blog here.

Anonymous said...

happy new year 2 u 2 !!!

zewt said...

may - next year? u mean now? :P

Suzette - welcome to AZAIG. well, since it's easy... have a try.

Maverick SM - i shall try to keep up the momentum.

beeranyone - Amen to that. May God bless you richly this new year.

Siew - if u dislike snail mail, you may want to send it to me via e-mail in a password protected word document.

zewt said...

stocktube - cheers stocktube.

angeles - hahahaha... angel not glamour enough meh? oh... sender volunteer here... better dont lose the letters.

winn - yest the 40 cents increase was a fake la.

Jemima - same to you!

cibol - for someone who has been quite quiet,
never knew you're such a poet,
as we continue life searches,
may you we all stay blessed.

carrie - welcome carrie... thanks. :)

misha - :)

Jun said...

happy new yr to u too zewt!!! 2008 will be the yr u're leaving for aus rite? aren't u excited??? :D

J u n e said...

Hahaha..heard of this! But i think im gonna do something else for this year...Happy new year zewt!

the girl said...

happy new year zewt!

Anonymous said...

Gina said," .. can it be a timed e-mail instead of a letter? "

Snail-mail will be quite difficult to carry out by a close friend even for half a year. That idea suggested by Gina is good. Incidentally, my cousin knew of a site (see the link below) that does it free even for as long as a century but i don't know whether the site is still around in 5 years time, let alone 100 years ;-). I just signed in and hope i will receive my own mail end of year. Happy 2008, Cheers, mike

(Ref:www.emailcapsules.com)

zewt said...

Jun - should be second half of this year if all things go according to plan.

AngryYoungChild - what is it?

pamima - thanks...

mike - well, i dont like it when i submit it online... someone could read it.

Huei said...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

so have u written ur letter yet? =D

Supergirlfriend said...

yeah...great idea eh, zewt..I'm doing that right away. Haha. Happy happy happy happy new year to you.. :p

zewt said...

huei - writing still hehe.

supergirlfriend - good luck! :)

Anonymous said...

Check out this site: www.futureme.org

You can send yourself an email on any date in the future. I just got one from myself circa Xmas 2006 - on NY2008. A bit of a downer because I realised how little I had changed and achieved, haha, but it was something to reflect over at the beginning of this new year. Better than a physical letter I think, cos you don't have to worry about forgetting/misplacing it/privacy issues.


Happy New Year!

zewt said...

yaayaavara - hi and welcome to AZAIG. well, i think putting your thoughts in such site is not secure becos i am sure the host of the site can see it. no matter what, it is still private... i would rather send it to a friend via e-mail in a password protected document which i have suggested in my latest post.

A Phantom Person said...

not a bad idea.

Anonymous said...

unfortch for me, i dont have any friends i'd trust THAT much haha...and plus, i dont mind the chance of some random stranger reading it becos the likelihood of that affecting my life is slim...but i see your point, and in the end, go with whatever works for you right?

zewt said...

a phantom person - hi there and welcome. try it then...

yaayaavara - well, send it to me in a password protected word document :)

Sheena said...

I did the whole letter-to-self thing middle of last year with the website that yaayaavara mentioned, futureme.org

'course, the letter wasn't intended to be THAT private, seeing as I'd blogged the entire letter, but your suggestion would be handy should I decide to do another more personal letter to myself.

I'll wait and see the outcome of this letter first.

Btw, here's wishing you & your loved ones a blessed year ahead :)

tulipspeaks said...

hmm.. sounds like a good idea. doable, but whom should i give it for safe keeping? :S a fren i can trust? hmm.. got to look out for one actually.


ammu.

zewt said...

Sheena - if you can still recall the letter... the effect wil not be that great... :)

tulipspeaks - well, like i said... send it to me via a password protected word document... :)