Secrets!
Being an extrovert has it's advantages. I have no problem talking to strangers. I'm not nervous in front of large groups. I enjoy meeting new people. My life is an open book. I write and talk about every aspect of my life. Well, almost.
There are some things that are private and sacred. I reveal my hopes, fears, failures and successes, but I don't share everything. I'm sure it's difficult to imagine that there's more, but there is. In fact, sometimes I find it hard to stop talking about one thing, simply because I DON'T want to talk about something else.
I sometimes question my own motivation. I started this blog because I love to write and because writing helps me work through my own issues. It helps me to clarify my own thoughts so that I can refine my process. However, if those were the only motivators, then I would just keep a journal. In fact, I did that for about thirty years. Why did I feel the need to go public?
I'm a teacher. Good teachers aren't people who have everything figured out. They don't wait to become experts before sharing what they've learned. They share their process, their failures and their triumphs. My favorite teachers had one thing in common. They talked to me like an equal. They led me to knowledge, but didn't claim to be the only resource on any subject. They let me figure things out for myself and then celebrated with me when I mastered something. We learned together.
That's what I'm doing with this blog. My hope is that we can figure things out together. If I find something that works, I want to share it. If I stumble or completely fail, I want you to know. We all fail, but sometimes it doesn't feel that way. Sometimes we start to think we're the only one who's made a terrible mistake. We start to feel cut off from others because we have a big 'secret'. We hide from friends, family and the world because we don't want that secret to get out. We are alone.
I've discovered that everyone feels that way, at some point or another. If we can swallow our pride and admit our 'failures', a funny thing happens. People respond. They say, 'Me, too! I did that! I know how you feel!' Suddenly, we're not alone anymore and the secret failure doesn't feel so big. The minute we go public with a problem, that problem starts to shrink. Instead of spending time and energy on hiding the problem, we can start solving it. We learn, we adjust and we move on.
That's why I write. It helps me to move on. I hope it does the same for you.
There are some things that are private and sacred. I reveal my hopes, fears, failures and successes, but I don't share everything. I'm sure it's difficult to imagine that there's more, but there is. In fact, sometimes I find it hard to stop talking about one thing, simply because I DON'T want to talk about something else.
I sometimes question my own motivation. I started this blog because I love to write and because writing helps me work through my own issues. It helps me to clarify my own thoughts so that I can refine my process. However, if those were the only motivators, then I would just keep a journal. In fact, I did that for about thirty years. Why did I feel the need to go public?
I'm a teacher. Good teachers aren't people who have everything figured out. They don't wait to become experts before sharing what they've learned. They share their process, their failures and their triumphs. My favorite teachers had one thing in common. They talked to me like an equal. They led me to knowledge, but didn't claim to be the only resource on any subject. They let me figure things out for myself and then celebrated with me when I mastered something. We learned together.
That's what I'm doing with this blog. My hope is that we can figure things out together. If I find something that works, I want to share it. If I stumble or completely fail, I want you to know. We all fail, but sometimes it doesn't feel that way. Sometimes we start to think we're the only one who's made a terrible mistake. We start to feel cut off from others because we have a big 'secret'. We hide from friends, family and the world because we don't want that secret to get out. We are alone.
I've discovered that everyone feels that way, at some point or another. If we can swallow our pride and admit our 'failures', a funny thing happens. People respond. They say, 'Me, too! I did that! I know how you feel!' Suddenly, we're not alone anymore and the secret failure doesn't feel so big. The minute we go public with a problem, that problem starts to shrink. Instead of spending time and energy on hiding the problem, we can start solving it. We learn, we adjust and we move on.
That's why I write. It helps me to move on. I hope it does the same for you.
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