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Recently
I had a birthday (May 1st, to be exact) and received a number of cards
from family, friends and colleagues. There were the comedic ones about
me, well, advancing in age and others designed specifically for the
son, son-in-law and special friend.
But there was a big
surprise awaiting me. You see, scattered among the beautifully designed
and well-written Hallmark cards was a small, orange sticky note which
read: Happy Birthday Daddy, Love Lauren. Lauren is my nine-year-old
daughter.
Of course, the sticky grabbed my attention. Yes, when you receive notes of any kind from your daughter, they tug at your heart.
Still,
there was something I didn't quite grasp. "Besides the fact that the
note came from Lauren," I wondered, "why does this birthday "card"
appeal most to me?"
And then it all came together.
"What
if she had done what the others had - sent a beautifully-designed,
professionally-written card and simply signed it? Would it have the
same effect?" I questioned.
The answer was clear: Absolutely not!
Here's
the big lesson: The power didn't lie in the words as much in how the
words were written. A handwritten note, no matter how crude, simply
runs figure-eights around the most creative Hallmark
card (and, sorry, email). That's right; it even beats those music-playing cards. There's
just no contest.
So, what about you? Do you write what you feel
or try to express yourself through someone else's words? Their words,
the Hallmark writers, may resonate for a moment, but yours will
resonate for a lifetime - no matter how crude they may be. That's why
you must remember the power of a small piece of paper.
Pull yours out and get to writing. Your career depends on it.