Life is filled with twists and turns. I often reflect upon life's path as I look at a stream as it flows through mountains which it has carved its presence in. It is in knowing the persistence in moving and going around obstacles which puts me in awe as I watch it flow with apparent ease. The sound is like a symphony to me. It sings to my soul. It rejuvenates me.
Recently I came across some words from an author who stated that he didn't like his writing. That he thought he was a hack. I was quite surprised to hear these words, as his books have sold millions around the world. I had to sit back and reflect on how someone who has found success in writing, still hasn't found his inner success in writing. That concept was perplexing to me.
I then had to laugh. I love my writing. I love to write. To write is to breath for me. It is a natural part of my daily life. Though my book sales are slim to none, it doesn't defeat me. When I look upon my shelf and see the books that I have written, I smile at the accomplishment. Those that have read them, have enjoy my writing and encouraged me to keep writing.
A wise man once said to me, when I was releasing my first book Falling Silence, "You have a lifetime to learn how to market and sell books, but if you don't write one, you have nothing to market and sell." I believe it has been these words that have helped me to learn to love my writing. It has taken the focus off of needing my happiness for my work be tied to the number of sales.
Social media has influenced the way we think about happiness and self-worth. It's not just teenagers who get addicted to the adrenaline rush of likes and comments. We all got caught up in having our value be determined by the amount of positive notifications we received.
One of the best decisions I have made in my life, was to leave most of the social media platforms I had taken years to build up a following. When I closed these platforms, I lost 40k followers and began searching for a new platform in which to rebuild.
My decision was based upon freedom. If freedom of speech is taken away from one, it can be taken away from anyone. My research involved learning about the history of each platform and its dependability. As a user experience designer, I looked at the features of each platform and the usability. This was a business decision for me. I would be investing time and resources to rebuild my social media presence and I needed to feel confident in who I would be utilizing long-term.
In the end, I went with Gab. The reason I made this choice, is I was initially impressed with how they were able to stay online, despite the massive effort to take them down. They were the first to challenge the well established social media platforms. It was through this initial effort to take them down, they became stronger and more committed to stay up and to stay committed to their initial intent of building a free speech platform.
I have come to appreciate the user experience that I have within the platform. It's features to have public and private groups, Gab TV, and news provide a robust user experience in which I am excited to start rebuilding my video channels. This platform has helped me to expand my thoughts about writing to adventure out into podcasts, courses, and videos. My love for writing continues to grow. There is an adventure waiting for me to explore. Every failure and success will provide valuable lessons for me to learn and grow.
Like a stream, I keep steadily carving my way into this mountain of published books. Like a stream, I keep flowing along letting my words become be a source of peace to those who happen to take a moment, sit down, open up my writing and listen to the sound of my song.
Whether you are a seasoned author with millions of book sales or a new writer, I encourage you to grab one of your books and go sit by a stream and read your writing. Let the stream fill you with peace as it creates a background symphony to your written word. If you can't get our in nature, find a video and play it.
Release your critical mind. Release your fears and anxiety of your writing not become the next top seller. Release your doubts. Put aside the voices of critiques, editors, and publishers. Just be one with the stream and your writing. Let them flow from you.
You have in your hands, what the majority of individuals in this world will never accomplish. As you listen to the stream flowing while reading your words, let peace and confidence flow in you and around you. Feel this experience.
This can now become your visualization when doubts and fears about your writing begin to creep into your mind. Push them out and replace them with this visualization you created. Like a stream, your journey with writing is an exploration with twists and turns. Embrace the experience.
Photo by Christopher Austin on Unsplash