I originally posted this blog entry two years ago, after discovering my parents had kept one of my letters to Santa all these years. I re-read it every year and vow to post the whole crazy thing one year. Not this year. It’s in a box somewhere, packed up in storage.
These excerpts still ring true. I suspect Santa is having a good laugh that the girl who wrote (well actually, dictated) this letter is now a content coach and message strategist.
Happy holidays to you all.
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I don't know about you, but the holidays always turn my nostalgia meter up to 11. Come December, I am overwhelmed with memories of the cookies my family used to bake, the toys I longed for, the countless times I watched "Miracle on 34th Street" (the original, Natalie Wood version only, please.) The memories remind me of who I was back then. And, as I learned last week, who I still am.
During a recent visit to my parents' house, I came across a letter I wrote to Santa. Sort of. There's no date, but I'm guessing I was around five years old. It kicks off with the toys I'd like to receive and then I make a couple of confessions/indications of personality traits I will never entirely outgrow:
I'm a bit of a perfectionist. "...I could not write this because I cannot write (cursive) I can only print and I make too many boo boos..."
I was an early adopter of outsourcing. "...so Jan (my older sister) printed it real fast for me..."
Time management turns out to be a lifelong struggle. "..because I was in a big rush..."
I get hangry. "...to eat because I was hungry."
I share this with you as a reminder that sometimes, content creation kicks our butts, even those of us who grow up to write for a living.
Sometimes we have to concede that we might be programmed for perfectionism from birth, but it doesn't have to be a deal breaker if we learn to recognize and work around it.
Sometimes we need to ask for help in sorting out our strategy, our message, our production, but be very, very careful about outsourcing your voice.
Sometimes we just need the pressure of a hard deadline to get our content done and there's no point in flogging ourselves for burning the midnight oil to meet it (again).
Finally, and maybe most importantly, we have to keep ourselves nourished mentally and physically; we need to read well and eat well to create well.
In 2017, this blog and other 423 Communication products in-the-works will help you dive deeper into creating content that supports your business and speaks your language. In the meantime, I wish you and yours a most wonderful holiday and sparkling new year.