Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you; spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life. – Amy Poehler
I recently spoke with my friend Kat* about writing. (I love Kat’s posts, so I take this opportunity whenever I can.)
Kat’s writing style is unique and elegant; it’s almost as if it has its own personality. Her posts are descriptive, precise, and full of stories with lessons behind them. These stories come from Kat’s life, and many of them were a challenge to experience.
As we continued our conversation, she told me her writing doesn’t typically produce a cathartic outcome. Instead, it leaves her upset, as she believes her posts give attention to those who don’t deserve it. To top it off, Kat feels as if the messages in her posts annoy some of her readers.
While I picked up multiple lessons from our thoughtful conversation, these five were particularly noteworthy:
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Writing is a powerful tool, but like many things in life, it’s not straightforward.
Writing has the potential to be a powerful cathartic tool, a symbol of motivation, and a beacon of hope for millions of people. It also has the potential to be destructive and hateful. What comes across as a beacon of hope for one person might tear down someone else. Whether we write about our experiences or not, there’s a lot to learn from them.
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Experiences are one of our most valuable gifts.
Experiences allow us to make sense of the past, truly live the present moment, and learn for the future. Our experiences also vary depending on our focus, history, and emotions. Kat believes her posts place too much attention on the negative and produces a net negative result.
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Life doesn’t always feel good, and that’s normal.
We see so many messages about happiness we think something is wrong with us when we don’t feel ecstatic.
Add social media to the equation, and our worries are amplified when we scroll through countless photos of tropical beaches, good food, and fun events.
Kat said her posts make people uncomfortable and I understand why some readers feel that way. We prefer “feel-good” topics, which explains why there is so much emphasis on gratitude, optimism, and happiness in written work.
We want to avoid unpleasant moments as much as possible, and that’s also natural. But life is about balance, which includes moments of happiness and sadness. Too much of either can lead to a poor outcome.
Want to know what will make you feel good? Engage in a thoughtful conversation and encourage others to do the same. Share a joke. Show someone you care about them. Change a person’s opinion, or teach someone a theory, skill, or idea.
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Don’t be afraid to step away from the crowd to share your unique perspective.
Regardless of what you’re interested in, there will be intimidating competition. But you have an incredible advantage; only you hold your unique perspective. Think for yourself and share your thoughtful ideas with those around you to help everyone become a better thinker and individual. Focus on how to share your own unique thoughts and opinions to add as much value as you can.
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Lessons are all around us, should we choose to pay attention to them.
These are the thoughts I’ve gathered from a good conversation with Kat. What lessons can you learn today? Lessons are all around us; and if we pay attention, we might be lucky enough to notice them.
*Kat is a pseudonym to protect confidentiality.