Guide to Household Lingo: Type a Letter to Oprah
August 10th, 2008
Starting a big project can be tough. Especially, if we’re talking about me starting that big project.
Since I’m naturally predisposed to the paralysis that comes from over-thinking, I’m always on the lookout for stories that inspire me to Just Start. Don’t worry so much about making a mistake. Don’t try to figure out optimal path. Just Do Something.
The life story of Greg Mortenson, as told in Three Cups of Tea, contains a great example.
Greg is a mountain climber who comes back from his failed summit attempt on K2 determined to build a school for a remote village in Pakistan. He has no money, next to no possessions, and no idea how to begin. For his first step, he decides to type a letter to anyone he can think of who might be willing to donate money.
He doesn’t use a computer, because he doesn’t know how. Working away on an old typewriter, he takes all day to complete his first 6 letters. All in all, he writes 580 letters.
He sends the letters to Senators, to rich people, and to various celebrities. Oprah might help, he thinks.
For all that effort, he gets only a single response (from Tom Brokaw), netting him a total of $100. A hugely unsuccessful fundraising effort.
You could argue that sending the letters was a complete waste of time, but it got him started. He took that first step towards his goal. And now, fifteen years later, his organization, Central Asia Institute has built over 60 schools that provide education to over 25,000 students throughout Pakistan and Afghanistan
Got a big project and you don’t know where to start? Type a letter to Oprah.