I sit here fighting the painful urge to pen another predictable, obligatory article about something “resolutiony” ("resolute" would work, but I get great satisfaction out of making up my own words) considering the time of the year. However, as a self-proclaimed artist (pronounced “arteest) of prose (verb not noun), I mustn’t travel the road always traveled. Which brings me to an odd yet intriguing destination that has almost nothing to do—at least directly—with bodybuilding, lifting heavy stuff and putting it down, or even eating yet another arid (definition #2, not definition #1) chicken breast.
I fought all week. I just sat here in front of my computer and struggled for something different when my redneck/trailer trash joy of country music somehow took my brain to a Brad Paisley song titled, “A Letter To Me.” Quickly, I googled it to see if I was going to use a topic that had already been written about. I do this often to make sure that I can’t be accused of “stealing” someone else’s ideas — much like a stand-up comedian would check to make sure his material doesn’t resemble another comedian’s work. What this search produced was something I had never heard of before, but apparently has become quite popular in the last couple of years.
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I noticed a couple links to websites that encourage you to write a letter to your future self. Initially, it occurred to me a bit odd, but I checked out a couple of the links and was intrigued by what I found. The first link was a website and domain name that was simply used by a man who wrote a letter to himself after his mother passed away in 2004. His thought was that any time he needed this “advice” that he wrote to himself for the future, he could quickly and easily click on this website and his letter would be available to him right away. The other links I checked even included email services that allow anyone to write a letter to themselves for the future and have it sent at a later date, years down the road.
I don’t know if it’s the time of the year or just the fact that I had no material for an article with a deadline in three days, but I found this idea quite appealing. I took the opportunity to write myself a letter but with one caveat: I couldn't include ANY reference to working out, competing, or being “buff” in the letter (buff is an old-ism that you won't understand if you aren't at least 40). Example: I couldn’t say anything like, “I hope I’m rippeder and HYUGER when I read this than I am now.” Basically, I wouldn’t allow myself any shallow, meathead type of input in this letter.
Instead, I focused my letter on things that I hoped would help to remind me of more important things in life and remind myself to stay balanced and to be remembered not as much for things that I had accomplished in the vain world of bodybuilding, but rather for the impact I had on my kids, my friends, and things of that nature. I am not going to get too detailed about what I specifically included in my letter because those things are personal to me, as I would assume the details of your letter would be to you. After all, it shouldn’t be written as a Facebook post to impress everyone else, but rather as a reflection years later of your thoughts at an earlier time. Essentially, this is advice to yourself from someone who knows you better than anyone else: YOU.
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I would encourage all of you reading this to consider writing a letter to your future self as well. This time of the year is a time of reflection and most of us find this time of the year emotional due to individual circumstances, the memories that we associate with the holidays, and the end of the year reminding us of the passing of time. I was surprised at how quickly I was able to project my thoughts to the keyboard with little to no effort. We all go through difficult times and almost all of us have advice for our friends or family, whether this advice is requested or not. Maybe giving ourselves our own advices (you see what I did there) is something we should have thought of long before now.
Your letter to your future self doesn’t need to be advice for a difficult time; it can be advice about one of the best years you have ever had or even just reflecting on the year no matter how good, great or not so great it has been. There are no rules; this simply provides an opportunity to, at a future date, reflect back and gain perspective from your younger self.
I mean, I’m pretty profound. I would hate to waist (bodybuilder autocorrect) my profundities on anyone other than myself if given the opportunity. Just Sayin’.
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