As a copywriter, your job is to communicate ideas.

It’s something I do almost every day, for companies of all shapes and sizes, all around the world.

Trouble is, in writing for those folks, I don’t often take the time to communicate with myself.

Maybe you’re the same.

Maybe you think so much about how to get a message out for other people in the right tone of voice, using the most aesthetically pleasing adjectives and in the most emotive manner that you don’t ever think to get a message to yourself.

When things are as awful in the world as they are right now, with disease and division making people’s lives harder than they should be, it’s even more important, I think, to check-in with your own thinking.

So here, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to share an open letter to myself.

Being to myself, from myself, it might mean nothing to you.

But possibly – if you share some of the worries and doubts that I do about life – it might just be useful in some way.

Here it is:

Dear Glenn,

You’ll sometimes feel overwhelmed.

You’ll sometimes feel it’s all in hand.

You’ll sometimes feel your idea sucks.

You’ll sometimes feel your voice is lost.

You’ll sometimes feel you’re getting too old.

You’ll sometimes feel you’re much too young.

You’ll sometimes feel you should do it differently.

You’ll sometimes feel everyone agrees.

You’ll sometimes feel your idea is strong.

You’ll sometimes feel everyone should know.

You’ll sometimes feel you want to keep it hidden.

You’ll sometimes feel it’s not really worth saying.

You’ll sometimes feel you should take more time.

You’ll sometimes feel there’s not enough time.

You’ll sometimes feel you deserve it.

You’ll sometimes feel you don’t.

You’ll sometimes feel you couldn’t help it.

You’ll sometimes feel you should do more to help.

You’ll sometimes feel it’s not your fault.

You’ll sometimes feel it is.

You’ll sometimes feel you don’t know what to do or say.

You’ll sometimes feel it is best left to others.

You’ll sometimes feel it’s your job to say.

But it’s OK to feel all these things if you stay self-aware and keep questioning why you have these feelings at all.

You’re someone who thinks, who takes the time to question what’s going on, to question yourself and to question things you might otherwise take for granted.

It’s all about asking questions, even when there seems little hope of finding an answer.

Your ability to question the world around you is the most powerful skill you have as a copywriter.

It’s in asking questions you discover the details you need to better understand people, to tell a good story, and sometimes, if you ask the right questions and find good answers, you can help make a positive change in someone else’s life.

If you can do that, you’re doing something right.

So, keep having these feelings, keep asking those questions and keep moving forward.

If in some small way that resonated with you – and you ever have some of these feelings too – I hope it helps.

Otherwise, thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts.

It’s appreciated, as always.