Dear John,

"Do people still start letters with 'Dear'?" I asked my friend.

John,

I decided that felt too informal, so I started again.

Dear John,

My handwriting was too messy. Take 3 on the thank you note.

At this point, I was back to the days of being eleven when I re-started a thank you note every time I made a tiny mistake like messing up on the heart above an "i" ; and like then, I went through way too much stationery trying to get it right.

Dear John, 

Now I felt like I was writing a Dear John letter, ending my relationship with a man I never met.

We spoke briefly on the phone a couple of times, but most of our communication was over email. I sensed early on that I needed to dial back the southern in me. He lived in NY and his emails in response to mine were to the point. He did not decorate with exclamation points or smiley faces, or wish me back a happy Friday.

I knew a short & polite thank you was all I needed to write. I also remembered the advice I was given to communicate as if I was a substantially sized company with a team.

Dear John, 

I started to write a standard professional thank you note from me and "my Giddy Up team." I came up with perfectly polished wording that I hoped would secure another opportunity for me.

But I could see too easily through my handwriting. Truthfully, besides a large company in Wisconsin that partners with hundreds of vendors like me, Giddy Up Promotions is a one-woman gig in Nashville.

I decided to fumble my way through being myself. I told John it was my largest order since starting my promo business, and then probably inserted a few exclamation points and emojis. The funny thing is that once I found my voice, I did not need to start over again.

I am a one-woman gig in Nashville who is a notch more confident after a successful campaign with a new client. 

Thanks, John :) !!!!!!!