A popular piece of content-creation/email writing advice is to “Write to your past self”.
What people mean when they say it is to think about where you were 2 months ago, 2 years ago, or even 10 years ago. Then think about all the problems you faced, obstacles you had to overcome, and wrong beliefs you held. And address those. This way you write as if you were writing a note that was about to be put in a time capsule and sent to your past self.
It sounds great in theory. It really does.
I used to follow the same advice myself.
But I stopped.
The first reason for this is simple:
I can’t remember what my past self used to struggle with. And even if I could, I don’t understand the feelings that accompanied them. My whole perspective is different now than it was even 5 months ago.
It’d be foolish of me if I tried talking to that specific person.
And that’s exactly why the creator economy is so great. You learn from the people 1–2 steps ahead of you, not someone 5 whole years ahead of you—another popular piece of advice.
So if you learn from someone right in front of you, why would I write to someone way behind me? It doesn’t make sense.
Another reason is that I simply can’t be bothered anymore.
The advice my past self from 5 years previous would need doesn’t interest me anymore. I’m at a different level right now. I’m interested in other topics.
If I were to talk about topics that didn’t inspire me, then my content would be bland and uninspiring, which directly hurts you, the reader. The energy wouldn’t be the same anymore.
So I simply don’t speak to my past self.
I write about what I currently find interesting. What I’m discovering in real-time.
This makes my content interesting and engaging. And I can take you with me on an adventure. A real-time adventure you can see unfold right in front of you.
Neither you nor I know the ending. Nobody knows where we’ll end up. That’s what makes it all so exciting.
So let this be a reminder not to blindly follow every single piece of advice you get. Think for yourself, carefully judge everything you hear, see, and experience.
Then decide what’s best for you and your goals.
And if you decide building an audience that loves to listen to you, longs to follow you on your adventure, and wants to buy your products is what’s best for you and your goals. Then you might want to check out Email Valhalla: https://alexvandromme.com/valhalla