So, Joanna wants all of us to Shine and live up to our fabulous potential.
(Because, you DO know that we all have fabulous potential, don’t you? The rest of this post will be fairly pointless if you don’t believe that, in which case, why don’t you go sit over there in that little chair off in the corner while the rest of us chat.)
Joanna is absolutely right. We all owe it to ourselves to be the best we can be. More, we owe it to our readers.
“When thinking about writing and responsibility, let’s not forget this part. Your responsibility to shine. To lift the lid off. To write your most brilliant, sparkling stuff. To move mountains, and soften hearts.”
But, what happens when you get distracted? Or you lose focus? Instead of creating your own light, you get distracted by other, shiny, brilliant posts by other people, like a crow seeing a new dime on the sidewalk? Or, instead of one, bright, solid glow, you generate random sparkles that fizzle out before they can do anything but shine for a moment.
It’s like the difference between watching fireflies blinking on and off in your backyard on a warm, summer night and basking in the glow of the sun (with, naturally, appropriate sunscreen). Th
ey’re pretty, but they are fleeting … like a good idea that got away.
The way I see it, these are two sides to this problem–and they both come down to the same thing.
- If all you are emitting are random sparks, like fireflies, which glimmer briefly and then fade, they won’t ever add up to anything.
- If you are letting yourself get distracted by the wide, shiny world, you’re never going to focus long enough to take those sparks and coax them into flame.
In other words, you’re so busy doing so many different things–reading posts, taking lessons, writing e-mails, catching up on Tweets–that, while you’re busy all the time, you’re not accomplishing anything. (Welcome to my world.)
In order to truly shine on your own, to glow and inspire all the world with your words, your confidence, and your conviction … you have to focus as much light as you can. Whether you reflect it, like the moon, or create it, like a lightbulb, you need to DO SOMETHING WITH IT TO MAKE IT YOURS.
Ultimately, nobody can write like you can, nobody can spin words quite like you. If you don’t power your own writing, nobody can … so don’t let distractions stop you!
Now … if I could only listen to myself … because, lately? Focus is my main problem … the Shiny Pebble Distraction Syndrome run amok.
–Deb, this is a wonderful follow up, thank you.
I’m very struck by your point about emitting random sparks. I think I’m doing a bit too much of that myself. It’s tricky, because I do get a lot of inspiration from those interactions with others. I mean, *a lot* of inspiration. But if I don’t get the balance right I’ll end up absorbing not transmitting light too.
Food for thought indeed.
I still hope I’ll see you soon on Twitter though 🙂
Joanna Young’s last blog post..Words on a Woman’s Investment
I can only support what you said, Joanna. The problem is getting the balance right. When reading other blog posts I sometimes forget to ask the questions “what does that mean for me, for my blog, for my way of writing?”. I simply scan the feeds. And that’s where distraction comes in. It is so easy to get lost in blogosphere!
Ulla Hennig’s last blog post..What you See is not Always what you Get
The trick is that you need the random sparks TOO because you never know WHICH sparks are going to catch fire. You can be focusing on trying to encourage one, hard-to-light spark, while one of your others that you’re ignoring wants to become a bonfire. There’s a fine line between the good, productive Focus and looking in the wrong place at the wrong time!
I literally just came from another blog – and I was taken completely by the writer’s voice. “Why don’t I write like that?” I whined in my own head, then I pouted, took a breath and reminded myself that I have my own voice. Surely I can enjoy a fellow writer’s voice while still believing in my own. Surely I can shine my own light, which may be a different hue. It might be a little brighter or a bit duller, but it’s mine, all mine. Love your light!
Melissa Donovan’s last blog post..Hot off the Press!
There are definitely writers I enjoy but have no desire to sound like … I want to sound like ME!
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