The Most Important Investment You’ll Ever Make

April 15, 2020

Apr 14 · 2 min read

About six years ago, I started a tradition of hand-writing letters
to my five-year future self. A decidedly analog version of futureme.org,
take stock of where I’ve been and where I might be going.

At the end of each academic term, in the final meeting time of my writing classes,
I’d invite my students to join me. "Take out a piece of paper, and a pen"
And write themselves a snapshot of the big questions: where am I?
where do I think I’m going? What do I care about? What do I hope for?
What are the defining characteristic of my daily life and mindset? Will that change?

I remind my students that audience is everything —
and to write something that they would enjoy reading.

I’ve kept my letters in a little bundle.  I've just read the letter I wrote to myself five years ago, in May of 2015, when I would have just turned 33.

photo by @seanwaters_ on Instagram

the self-love letter

“You should be feel happy for what you’ve done and what you continue to do…
and you should remember: remember the love of your mother —
how she loved you and how her love lives on and pays dividends…

you’ve been thinking about investing this year —
the first year you’ve had some actual money to play with —
thanks to the actualization of your careers in teaching and music —

and I encourage you to think about your love as a kind of investment in your self:
when you love — and when you love yourself, you expand your ability to be more of what you are —
to share that love outwards, and nourish the whole creation with it … this love will keep you whole and healthy.”

You can invest in condos, careers, and relationships,

But the greatest investment you’ll ever make is in loving yourself.

Hope this helps. Have you ever written letters to yourself? Want to join me this May 2020? What will we have to say to our 2025 selves?!?!?!