Good and bad are but names very readily transferable to that or this; the only right is what is after my constitution, the only wrong what is against it. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
We are our most potent at our most ordinary. And yet most of us discount our “ordinary” because it is, well, ordinary. Or so we believe. But my ordinary is not yours. Three things block us from putting down our clever and picking up our ordinary: false comparisons with others (I’m not as good a writer as _____), false expectations of ourselves (I should be on the NYTimes best seller list or not write at all), and false investments in a story (it’s all been written before, I shouldn’t bother). What are your false comparisons? What are your false expectations? What are your false investments in a story? List them. Each keep you from that internal knowing about which Emerson writes. Each keeps you from making your strong offer to the world. Put down your clever, and pick up your ordinary.
(Author: Patti Digh)
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My False Notions
- I’m not as good a writer as the people I enjoy reading.
- Doing something that scares me isn’t a necessity.
- I should always play it safe.
- Being liked equates to being good at something.
- In order to be a good writer, I have to be published somewhere big.
- In order to be a good at anything, I need to be noticed.
- It’s better to keep quiet than offend anyone.
- I just ramble, so I shouldn’t write at all.
- There’s nothing special about me.
- I’ll just do it tomorrow.
It’s always good to identify false notions, and much easier to finally admit to them than it is to actually do anything about them. I hope you’re able to overcome some of them, to take the risks and find happiness beyond them.