Thanks in advance

My most important email (8 years ago). Plus how to close. And, 7 other things worth your time.

The most important and fortuitous email I ever sent in my life ended with these words:

“If you're up for it, great; if not, no hard feelings.”

This was how I closed the out-of-the-blue message I sent in 2012 to my now-wife, Karen. We’d dated in college, but we hadn’t talked for years. Here I was, basically cold-emailing her to ask her out.

Fast-forward ei…