My mom sent me a photo the other day and said “Isn’t this a fabulous idea?!”
The photo was of a postcard she’d received in the mail that day. It was from a couple who’d just moved to the neighborhood and featured a photo of them smiling happily with their dog. The message read: “We’re new to the neighborhood and we want to meet you!” It subsequently invited them to a neighborly meet and greet on a Saturday morning with coffee and pastries.
Have you ever received a postcard like this? I haven’t. But I had to agree with her – it was a great idea.
What I enjoyed most about it was considering the process these folks went through in order to arrive at the great idea of sending out these postcards.
First, they had a desire: they wanted to get to know their new neighbors.
Second, they brainstormed how to make happen. I can imagine the thought process went something like this:
“We could go door to door with cookies – but that sounds like a lot of time and effort. What if there was a way to get them to come to us? We don’t have anyone’s phone numbers or email addresses – but we could go old school and use the postal service! Host an informal gathering on a Saturday morning and see who shows up. But what if people are busy or miss their chance? We’ll add a note explaining that we both work from home and people are always welcome to stop by and say hello.”
(And this note was added at the end, which I thought was brilliant).
I personally would love to adapt this kind of mentality and thought generation when I’m coming up with a way to meet a need or desire I have. Wouldn’t you?
Never forget: whatever obvious way there may be to achieve something (the way most people would do it), there are undoubtedly other ways to get there as well! And they may be even more effective, memorable, and long-lasting 💕
