Sep 30, 2015 / Inspiration

You Are Enough

What if the next time we sat down to write, we didn’t worry about being interesting, we didn’t worry about being liked, and we didn’t worry about being reblogged?

I recently told a friend of mine — a single mom who works in the healthcare industry — that she should write a blog about her amazing life. Her response to me was, “It’d be the most boring blog in the world. I’m nothing special.” That’s a direct quote. Nothing special? She’s raising three kids on her own, works in an ER in a massive city hospital, speaks three languages, and she studied opera in college. If she’s not special, I don’t know who is.

Her response really surprised me, and it reminded me of someone from my past who was the flip side of the self-confidence coin.

In my early 20s, I was taking a class with an outrageously flamboyant teacher. She found her life so interesting and loved telling us wild stories of the minutiae of her day. She could probably tell a story about boiling water and make it enjoyable. One day, after making us roar with laughter, she shrugged at us in disbelief and shrieked, “Stories just happen to me!”

My mouth dropped open. She really thought that more stories “happened” to her than to other people.

“Anything that gets your blood pumping is probably worth doing.”
Hunter S. Thompson

I was taken aback by the hubris. It was such an absurd statement because…well…stories happen to everyone. Did my teacher lead a more interesting life than my nurse friend? Nope. What made her a great storyteller is that she saw herself as the fascinating main character in the wild story of her life.

And she was right. But guess what? We all are.

The most frequent question I field from bloggers is, “How do I get more people to read my blog?” I suspect they want the answer to be something SEO-related, and I hate to disappoint, but my answer is almost always, “Pick a topic you want to talk about. Choose subjects that you can’t wait to write about, whether a million people will read your blog, or just your best friend.”

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”
Albert Schweitzer

What if there were no pressure to be interesting, or wild, or unique, or marketable? What if the main ingredient in the recipe for a great blog post is simply the exuberance to share yourself? I bet we could excite readers just as much by writing about finding a killer sale at Marshalls, as we could about winning the latest season of Project Runway.

There is such a divide between a story that needs to be told, and a story that reads as if it were written out of obligation. The writers that I admire the most are those who can write about any topic, and draw me in with their exuberance. A writer’s moxie makes any story magnetic.

I am drawn in by their passion, not by their perfection.

What if the next time we sat down to write, we didn’t worry about being interesting, we didn’t worry about being liked, and we didn’t worry about being reblogged. What if, when we opened up a new post in our editors, we started by thinking, “I cannot wait to tell you this story…I might explode if I don’t share this with you.”

If we love our stories, our stories will be loved.

When you sit down to write, before you put pen to paper (or cursor to screen), think, “I can’t wait to tell this story!” Inject that feeling into the whole text. Sometimes, I think, “You’re not going to believe this…!” while I write a story.

Come up with your own variation on the theme, and write with energy and excitement.

When you read through your older posts, can you feel the difference between the posts you were enthusiastic about writing, and those you wrote in order to hit a deadline?

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  1. Oops, hit Enter before I was through 😀 That quote I referenced in the above comment is exactly what has made my favorite books enjoyable, no matter how many times I have re-read them. Thank you, Robyn, for expressing those most important elements in unforgettable writing so perfectly!

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Aww great post! I agree those stories which come from the heart are so much better than those you have to plan and think of under pressure. It’s all about perspective I guess!

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Please do not get me wrong here. I love how you plead for the one who just writes and enjoys their own writing.
    It is true that when one writes without obligatory meaning it does feel better.

    Though at the same time we are being told we have to have those followers if we want to mean something or be someone in this community. Whether it is a twitter or even WordPress numbers mean something or so we are told and told to believe.

    As asked many times how do i get more followers is just the hole issue why people feel defeated at some point and loose interest in keeping a blog.

    Seriously I do agree with your post here 100%. If you enjoy writing write for yourself and praise the one who does take the time to read your post. But on the other end we are being told that numbers count and as with lost of thing majority speaks so most follow the numbers.

    I rather have a true and honest like than just some knobs clicking a button.

    The two years I have been writing I enjoyed every day and still do if not for the readers it is because I enjoy the write as it helps me empty my head to have more room for new ideas.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. I understand what you’re saying. I feel the same way at times, like why should I write anything about my boring, typical life. But you never know when someone will come across your blog and really relate to what you’re going through. It could be years from now that someone will find your blog and it will resonate with them.

      Liked by 2 people

      2. Now I won’t waste my time trying to impress certain people or not offend other people. And, after I’ve posted it to FB, I won’t spend my time obsessively checking back to see if people have liked it or clicked on it, and get annoyed that it’s not getting as many likes as other people’s FB posts.

        Liked by 1 person

  7. This is great, thanks so much for posting. A post written out of passion and inspiration is a much better read than a post written to get likes or more viewers. Like many others I need to remember that sometimes when I reach for the post button. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  8. This is a great blog! I used to think that I couldn’t write and I would be made fun of if I did. When I finally got the courage to write a blog, I was excited and could not wait to post it. It was a fear I conquered by just doing it. Taking a risk!

    Liked by 2 people

  10. Hi Robyn,
    Thank you for such an encouraging and inspiring post. Yes, we are all awesomely unique – how could we not be? We’ve been created by an awesome God!
    Your post made me smile “…tell a story about boiling water and make it enjoyable.” It also reminded us that our lives are rich veins of gold from which we can mine our stories. And, as you mentioned, having something to say and being passionate about what it is we are saying, is the key to interesting articles or stories.
    I’m a new blogger and your post today is music to my ears. I have to admit, earlier this week I found myself agonising over the fact that there were days when nobody was dropping by. After all, as writers we do want (need?) readers. We also value feedback. But then I remembered why I was writing and decided not to get hung up about this. I believe that for whomever my words are destined and whenever the time is right, they will be drawn to my blog like a moth to the light (borrowing an expression from one of your responders – thank you jeneanecommonplacebook). Meanwhile, I shall be diligent in sharing what’s on my heart and in learning more about this new venture of blogging I’ve embarked upon.
    Wishing all other bloggers responding to this post fulfilment and the power of magnetic story-telling.
    Thanks again Robyn – a timely post 

    Liked by 4 people

  12. I absolutely LOVED this. I am writing a relationship blog based on my online dating experiences, (https://cupidchroniclesblog.wordpress.com) and some mean people in my life wrote me some hateful stuff about it. It’s been hard for me to want to return to writing because of the hate mail I got over sharing my feelings on the blog. This encouraged me to continue writing what I WANT TO WRITE, regardless of the haters and naysayers out there. You can never please everyone, right? 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I love writing and about 15 years ago , I showed couple of my stories to my ex and her response was “Who would want to read it” . I stopped and 12 long years later, I was divorced and I started writing again and I realized that my decision to stop writing was probably the dumbest thing that I have ever done (probably even dumber than getting married to my ex!!!) . So keep writing regardless of the naysayers and the haters!!!

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thank you so much wooknight! You are absolutely RIGHT ON! I’m so sorry you had to go through that, how awful. 😦 I always say that you should be who you are and surround yourself with people who love and appreciate you. The more I do this, the happier I am, I’m realizing!

        Liked by 1 person

      4. “we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own.” – Marcus Aurelius . Suppose there is an admonition that should be heeded at all times

        Liked by 1 person

  13. Great post. I love that your teacher thought stories just happend to her, but that you had the insight to see and share that stories happen to all of us. I hope your friend finds her voice. I could have been her a few years ago, except I didn’t study opera. She’s probably so busy just living day to day she hasn’t found out she has one yet. She will.

    Liked by 1 person

  14. LOOOVE this post! I only write for my best friend who told me to start blogging my adventures and a easy way to tell a story without having to hear my own voice over and over again. This post really hit home, thank you for sharing!

    Liked by 1 person

  17. Defintiely. There have been times when I thought about something, and I didn’t write it because it didn’t fit with the rest of my writing, or I didn’t feel the story was worth telling. Now that I’ve forgotten them, I’ve realised the story was worth telling, even just so I had them there to recall.

    Liked by 1 person

  21. Great question at the end: some of my best posts were triggered by knowing I needed to hit a deadline, and also wanting my writing to support my photography…that it pushed me into action a couple days prior to the deadline so I could make sure the post was “perfect”. This feeling of “perfectionism” when I prepare a post is something I did not expect when I first started blogging and at times it feels like this huge weight when I begin composing a post…but once I get started, I am happy I put such pressure on myself. Pressure makes it a better product. The only problem is I generally hate pressure with a passion…and not to sound cliche, but therein lies the rub.

    Great post, as I do think you have it correct “If we love our stories, our stories will be loved” and this describes the creative process so well.

    Liked by 2 people

  22. Enjoyed this post so much. Hit home with what I always tell people about enjoying their lives because they can’t be anyone else. We are the star in our lives and need to act like it. Your friend needs to recognize how special she is not only for her own well being but also for those that depend on her – children, patients, etc. Go girl be a star and don’t be afraid to shine.

    Liked by 3 people

  23. *Boom*
    Whoa.
    I’m going to go back to all my blogging posts and give them a re-read, see what is me being me and what feels forced. You definitely gave me a whole new perspective on my writing, Thanks!

    Liked by 2 people

  24. Thank you Robyn. Thank you. I think we need to be reminded more than we realize that we ARE enough. Anyone who writes, writes out of enjoyment so why not be the stars of our own show? We should write like it. Thanks for the quote as well… “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” Albert Schweitzer. I needed to read that and be reminded of it. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

  26. Love this! I totally agree with you. I think I’ve had only a handful of people read my blog, but I just want to write about stuff I enjoy and not worrying about trying to get more people to read it definitely makes it easier to read.

    Liked by 3 people

  28. This post is just what I needed.

    I really love this perspective and try to aim for this as much as I can. I do have posts that I’m still not sure I care to have in my archives but the ones I gave my everything to, they’re my babies, my stories I was so excited to share.

    Thank you for the great reminder and motivation!

    Liked by 4 people