The Power of Handwritten Notes

“Letters are among the most significant memorial a person can leave behind them.”  Johann Wolfgang van Goethe

After separating the different sections of the complimentary Times Picayune Newspaper of our New Orleans hotel, my eyes are drawn to an article by Danny Heitman: “In Digital Age, Handwritten Notes Still Have Power”.  Immediately, I remember the letter that changed my life. Ironically, it was a letter I actually resisted writing. That inspirational emotional story is told in the last chapter of my first book, There Are No Small Moments.

Danny writes about the obvious transition from the past when much was handwritten, to a new era where most of what we read is in a digital format.  The Mondays Are Great Newsletter is totally dependent on the digital world.  No surprise…. most of us rely on electronic communication for professional and personal purposes. The volume and frequency of these electronic messages have increased in recent years. No surprise that handwritten notes stand out when we encounter them. Despite the infrequency of these jewels of communication, one truth still remains as in the past—

Handwritten notes have the power to change lives.

I am such an example.

Danny writes:

“. . . our son, home from college, gave everyone in the household a small, handwritten note telling each of us what we meant to him. It’s something I will treasure the rest of my life . . .”

Special letters I wrote to others in my life were impactful to the recipients. How do I know this? They told me.  After a long history and years of this best practice, I am no longer astonished at one result that may seem surprising and unexpected.  The letters I wrote had more impact on me.  The good we send out to others in the powerful inspirational words from our innermost being, return to us, like a boomerang, greater and more powerful in effect.

In his article, Danny encourages his readers to adopt a new year resolution to write one important letter this year. I have suggested this same practice in keynote presentations I have been privileged to give around our country.  Be sure to write that letter.

Now…before it is too late. The special letter that changed my life? It was the one I wrote to my grandmother two weeks before her passing. I will be eternally grateful for the opportunity and encouragement of that moment.  And the conversation I had with my mother about that letter will never be forgotten. Nothing in my life was ever the same. What followed that special letter were many other letters. I still write them today.

Examples of letters you might consider–

To someone . . .

Who made a difference in your life at a pivotal moment

Who you wronged and never asked for forgiveness

Who needs assurance or support at this moment

Who is approaching their final days

You probably already know the name of the person to whom you should write. Is now a good time? If not now, when?

Imagine that special moment when your letter is received.

“it’s something I will treasure the rest of my life.”

Today, I will write a letter to . . .