This is an old exercise that was sometimes used at the end of workshops. It involves giving each person an envelope and sheets of paper. It then invites them to take the following steps.
They address the envelope to themselves.
They pick a date in the future when they want the envelope and its contents to be sent to them.
They write this date on the envelope ‘To be sent on …’ This could be, for example, in three months, six months or a year.
They then write a letter to themselves in which the describe the specific things they want to have done by the time they receive the letter.
By the time I receive this letter I
will have done the following things.
*
*
*
They can write whatever they wish. These may include personal or professional things they want to have done or achieved by that date.
They seal the letter and hand it to the course leader. The letter will then be sent to them on the stated date.
This exercise can inspire people to work towards their goals. On one workshop I ran one participant said:
“I only like pleasant surprises. So I have taken a copy of the letter to make sure I have done the things I described.”
Many people enjoy the exercise and often report that they have done what they described.
Let’s return to your own life. Looking ahead, can you think of a situation where you may want to follow elements of this approach? This could be to focus on your own aims or help somebody to work towards their goals.
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentence.
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