The Joy of Being Who You Are

Persons of high self-esteem are not driven to make themselves superior to others; they do not seek to prove their value by measuring themselves against a comparative standard. Their joy is being who they are, not in being better than someone else. ~ Nathaniel Branden

A good friend of mine said if you write you’re a writer. You don’t have to prove it to anyone. I have been writing poetry for years but as I told people “in my secret life I am a poet” it wasn’t until I published my first poem eight years ago that I really felt comfortable saying it. I look at other poets in my online critique group with many more published pieces than I have and I say to myself they are real poets, but they may look at people with books published as real poets. In February I will be attending the Desert Nights, Rising Stars Conference in Tempe, Arizona. I received a scholarship to the conference for which I am very grateful. It will give me the opportunity to meet published as well as unpublished poets, short story writers and authors. Some who are very well known and some who are as yet undiscovered.
One of my goals for 2008, is to celebrate my own writing and not hold it up to others. How different would your writing be if you just wrote who you are. No comparisons, no negativity. Today think about who you are. Does that come across in your writing. Is your voice disguised because you are trying to be someone else? Work on your 2008 writing goals. If you feel comfortable share them here in the comment section. Now get back to work!

Lovingly,
The Writing Nag

P.S. Thanks for the beautiful letter Cathy.