“I wrote this song two hours before we met.
I didn’t know your name or what you looked like yet.
Oh, I could have stayed at home and gone to bed.
I could have gone to see a film instead.
You might have changed your mind and seen your friends.
Life could have been very different but then,
something changed.”  - Pulp, “Something Changed”

Between Outlook and various web apps, almost my entire life is online now.  But, luckily I still occasionally jot things down on good old-fashioned paper.  Why is that lucky?  Because sometimes I find that paper years later and it brings a smile to my face.

Case in point:  My wife just found the paper where we jotted down potential names for our twins. 

It looks like this:

Kate
Bridget
Shanon
Erin
Piper
Amanda
Anna
Christine
Kira (sp) Kiera
Lillian
Gillian
Marion
Maxine
Pearl
Sage
Silvia
Mark
Peter
Katherine Anne
Mark Edward
Peter James
Shannon Jane

I have no idea why some are crossed out, maybe those are the ones that we didn’t agree on.  It’s just crazy to think of our kids with any names except the ones they now have.  Their names are now who they are and it’s hard to imagine calling them anything else.

I think there’s an interesting business issue here, too. Sometimes we make decisions, like naming a company or product or choosing a domain name that will have a lasting impact.  Your name is likely to be the first thing that potential business partners and customers will ever encounter.  Does it project the right image?  Will it still work in 5 or even 10 years? 

I always enjoy looking at a list of recent start-ups to see how well they’ve thought this through.

Photo credit: mrlemonjelly