Be Inspired by a Daring Person
I originally wrote this article on May 17, 2014.
The dilemma with blogging is wondering what to say and what to hold back. Isn’t this the dilemma surrounding relationship as well?
Do we focus on trying to be likeable and relate-able to everyone? Do we avoid ticking some people off? Do we avoid seeming too opinionated? Do we avoid being too known?
Holding back feels like a sort of waste, a disservice, because I think we all have something to say, we all have a view on something or a lot of things, we all have experiences with something. And someone can benefit by reading or hearing what we each have to say. It’s because of others stating their alternative viewpoints that I recognized my options and live as I do now; these people helped me change my life to be a match for who I am.
Additionally, I think we need to respect people enough to let them apply their own discernment in who they listen to.
When I feel drawn to say something, I take heed. And I say it. When I hit the ‘publish’ button in my blog, it’s like throwing a penny in a pond and making a wish. I send a wish that someone will benefit from my post. And I let it go out into the world to land as it does.
If I feel a cringe of uneasiness, I recognize that just it’s a just a life-long anxious feeling. And I won’t die from saying what I think. I soothe myself into trusting.
“You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.”
- Mary Oliver
What else helps me deal with the anxiousness of sharing–or really, the fear of not being liked–is frequently reading a blog by someone who is really, really daring. I follow the controversial and courageous Penelope Trunk. She has some major backbone. And I tend to agree with a lot of stuff she says. I tell myself that if she can say what she does, plus I find her work so helpful to read, then I will be alright with what I say.
Find your daring muse. Even if you aren’t a writer, being inspired by someone who unabashedly puts it out there can help in relationships with others. Rest easy as you admire and appreciate someone who lets it all hang out.
“We don’t need to earn the right to lead. At least in this culture, leadership is there to be stepped into. For so many of us we’re concerned we don’t have something of significant value to offer and so we withhold from the world. But the only way to check the potential impact is to step up and step in.
“Leadership is not something that you arrive at, but something that is developed by actually taking a stand and letting others know. Waiting to be perfect before offering your wisdom is just ripping the world off of what you’ve got. No leader in history has ever been perfect because every leader has been human. What are you leading?”
- Chela Davison
Warmly,