It’s ok to just be horrible

I’ve been feeling a lot of trepidation about writing lately. Just recently, someone alluded to my blog as trite. That wasn’t the exact term, but I knew what she meant and it stopped me cold. I let that one petty comment keep me from writing at all. The thing is, I’m afraid of being horrible and she validated that fear.

Somewhere over the past four months, I forgot that Jon Acuff gave me permission to be horrible. It seems I also forgot about meeting Barbara at Blissdom and what a huge impact her words had on me. Her sincerity and kindness positively effected me as much as those negative words did the other day.

Why is it that the negative so often takes over the positive? Even more so, why is it that there are people out there that feel the need to criticize others to make up for their own shortcomings? No matter where you are in your life, it is much more productive to lift someone up than it is to tear them down. Finding a way to make someone smile or to make them feel better about themselves can be a huge mood booster. If only more people realized this…

I guess the best you can do is acknowledge negativity for what it is and try your best not to take harsh words to heart. I know it’s easier said than done. The odds of me following my own advice is are probably pretty low. But I’ll make the effort. We owe it to ourselves to trust in our own abilities, right?

And, from this point forward, whether or not my writing is any more to someone that random thoughts, it shouldn’t prevent me from doing what I love: writing.