Hello, my old friend...it's been too long. If only I had some real reason for not writing, for shamefully ignoring this thing I was so very excited about a few months ago. But, the God's honest truth is...I haven't been able to write. I have thoughts, things I almost think might be interesting enough to write about, but then, almost as quickly as they come, they disappear leaving only what can be described as half-ass, broken, matter-to-no one bits of thoughts that never make their way onto the screen. Sometimes, I don't write because when I stop and think about it, whatever I may have to say has already been said about 97 times by others who also think their words might have some impact on their readers. Sometimes, I don't write because no matter how much I preach about absolute honesty and the fact I want more than anything to put my thoughts/feelings/experiences out there for the world to read, I find myself refraining out of fear of...hmmmm, fear of what? Well, when it comes down to it, it's fear of failure, right? Isn't that why any of us stop doing anything, or don't even bother trying at all? We don't want to look foolish. We would rather sit back and do nothing rather than risk letting others think less of us. But, why? Well, again, I'm fairly certain it all comes back to the over-riding fear of failure. And when it comes to writing, I think it's heightened by the fact that words, born of thoughts, inspired by feelings, are so very personal. So, how do we put ourselves out there...even when we don't feel like we have anything worth offering, yet knowing that if we don't at least try we are certain to fail? Funny, as I typed and re-read that last sentence I realized how very applicable those words are to so many situations in our lives - certainly not just writing or even working or trying something new - but to almost anything. (Note: When something like that happens I'm reminded of exactly why it is that I write. I don't plan my words...they simply come.) I guess maybe the point is; practice, put yourself out there, learn something new, take a chance, don't be so afraid to fail, step up and just do whatever it is you want to do even if you might look foolish or could fall flat on your ass - physically or metaphorically. Isn't life about the experiences - the moments and the people, often best when unplanned when foolish failure could very well be an option, but isn't even a thought because you are too busy living rather than thinking or worrying? YES! That's the answer! Risk looking foolish. Risk failing. Just live. Whatever that looks like for you - do it.
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