I saw a poster a couple weeks ago that said:
"We can't spell s ccess without U."
The phrase caught my attention. It got me thinking about just how important we all are in the grand scheme of things.
For example, if a group of guys named John, Paul, George, and Ringo never met and started plucking away at songs then the world would have been deprived of some pretty darn great music.
Say, if Aristotle had not believed the earth was round, we may still be frightened of falling off of the edge of the earth. (At least I think it was Aristotle. Let me know if I'm mistaken.)
And, what the devil would we do if someone hadn't come up with the brilliance of Kraft Mac & Cheese. Sheesh, we would all die of starvation, right? Okay, I've pushed the envelope a bit too far. But you get my point.
Now, to the meat of my post.
In general, I compare myself to everyone and their monkey. Uh... Oh, Dog. When I learned to speak Chinese to live in Taiwan for a year and a half, I thought everyone elses language skills trumped mine at least three-thousand percent. For the most part, this brought about great heartache and loss of awesome experiences communicating with the natives.
I compare with my writing, too. Slap me, please! I know I shouldn't, but ingrained in Julia's genes is the insecurity that I'm not good enough. Perhaps, I'm giving away too much, but maybe some of you who read this feel the same way.
One of my good friends told me that only I can write what I write, and I am super special for it. My words (after polishing them off a bit) are the best way that can tell my stories to the world. I shouldn't compare what I write or my journey with words with anyone elses. That's only setting me up for failure.
We needed J.K. Rowling to come up with Harry Potter. We can't spell success without her. We needed J.R.R. Tolkien to think up his fantastical world found in The Lord of the Rings. We can't spell success without him.
The list is endless, but you get the idea.
I quote this: "We can't spell s ccess without U."
Keep on dreaming, writing, and sharing YOUR stories! And for heaven's sack, STOP COMPARING YOURSELF TO OTHER WRITERS! I know I have to work on this one loads.
Have you ever compared yourself with others when it comes to your writing? How have you pulled yourself out of that muddling pit?
Writing. Jewels.
