L
ast year a local play was produced in Portland, Oregon, called Note to Self. The play presents a series of actors portraying the characters’ younger and older selves. Each would write notes to the other. The younger actors would contemplate what will occur in their lives over the next 40 years. The older actors would send advice of what they wished they would have done differently. It was a poignant play that won the local award for best ensemble play of the year.
Write To Your Older Self
You can apply this premise to your life. If you are an older attorney, imagine yourself as fresh out of law school. You have your life ahead of you and you are anxious to start your career. With that mind set, sit down, and write a letter to your future self. Keep it positive. Describe what you hope to accomplish in the next 20, 30 or 40 years. Forget about what is going on in your current life; think about what you wanted then. Write the letter and set it aside.
The next day, sit down and write a letter to your younger self. Offer advice on what helped you excel. Mistakes you made. Successes you had. Give information that you wished you had when you were younger and just starting out. Keep it positive. Most of all write it down without judging yourself. Once done, set it aside.
The following day, pull out both letters. Read them both, one right after the other, and reflect upon what you wrote. Take the advice from your current self. Incorporate that advice into your young dreams and desires. With that information, move forward to accomplishing the goals you had when you were younger.
Write to Your Younger Self
For attorneys just starting out, you can use the same tool to navigate your budding career. Imagine yourself in 30 or 40 years looking back over your career. Write a letter to your younger self describing what you accomplished and mistakes you made. Set it aside.
The next day, write a letter to your older self. Describe your fears for the future. Explain where you will excel. What goals do you have for yourself? Do you want to spend the first part of your career developing it, or do you want to work on a family? Do you want to do both? Write down your hopes and desires and set it aside.
The following day, read both letters. Take time to reflect on what you wrote. Where do your goals coalesce? Do they diverge? Look upon what you wrote as a sketch of your upcoming path. Take your own advice and work towards achieving your dreams.
Contact me for complimentary 30 minute session to examine how you can connect your younger and older self.
Photo credit: Spyderella via Foter.com / CC BY-NC