I’ve always enjoyed reading and studying “Language Arts” while growing up, and even though I got good grades, I’d never felt particularly good at it. When I began blogging and developing a website as part of a home business, I realized that ready-or-not, I needed to hone that skill. As I worked through a system that I now coach others through, I learned that the foundation for a solid business is not in hype or over-promotion, but in solid information and over-delivering. In other words, people don’t buy products; they buy practical solutions from a credible source. Therefore, in order for my business to succeed, I had to be able to communicate clearly in order to deliver those solutions!
Well, that all made sense to me – but there was that one glitch: my writing skills, or lack thereof. There were 3 obstacles that I had to overcome. And they’re ones you may have to as well.
1) The first was my own attitude toward writing in general, and my writing in particular. Now I have no illusions that I’m out to write the next great American novel, and I am confident that I don’t pose any threat to Emily Dickenson’s place in American literature. However, the attitude I’ve had about my own writing skills was certainly my biggest obstacle. Looking back in my education, I always did well in writing assignments; I worked on school newspapers periodically (no pun intended!); I tutored others in writing and reading skills while in high school and college: so what was my problem? What helped – and is helping – me to overcome this is pure and simple, and the word I hated most while growing up: practice! The more I write, and the more feedback I get from others concerning my writing, the more I am able to improve. This, in turn, has definitely accounted for my own attitude adjustment in this area.
2) My opinions about what I had to write about needed some revision as well. OK, so I got over the “I can’t write” mentality, but then staring me in the face was the follow-up to that one: What do I have to say that could possibly interest anyone?!?! Do you ever feel like that? All around me are wonderfully interesting individuals with amazing life-stories and unique experiences to wax poetic about… and then there’s me. Well, that one’s the kiss of death, and it’s also one of the biggest lies you can tell yourself. Don’t believe it for a minute. And if you find yourself having a pity party on that account, please be ruthless and nip it in the bud. The best way to do that? Sit yourself down at the computer or a notebook and just start writing. About anything. And don’t stop ‘till you’re too tired to think. Then save your work and go back to it tomorrow.
3) And after getting over those 2, there’s the content challenge, or What Do I Write About? By this time, you’re allowing yourself to write, and accepting that you have something to say, but now you wonder what to talk about! Well that one’s the easiest to hurdle. Writing prompts abound – I have a whole Squidoo lens on them, along with resources to improve your writing skills. I even have a “day in the life” section where I explain where I found a whole bunch of ideas recently!
I have to admit, writing was the one area I least thought I would develop in my lifetime. But it has surely changed me in some ways that I can’t even explain. I look at life and my experiences in a whole new light these days; I meet people and am eager to discover their story; I pass church signs and jot down some of those clever sayings; I listen to the news and research how these complicated financial times will affect my life and my family’s – and write about it all! I hope you’re able to take even a tidbit from this piece, and use it to change your life as well.
