I used to write a lot. I would write blog posts, somewhere between two and five per week. They were about Paso Robles, wine, food, local events, and so on. I got burnt out, I think. I also used to write six days per week just for myself, in a journal. My goal back then was 1,000 words a day. Recently, I got back in to that daily habit but I wanted to succeed so I write 500 words a day rather than expecting 1,000 right off the bat. Most of those days it ends up being over 1,000 anyway but the goal is at least 500.
Some of that journaling is simply me writing about my day, how it went or what my plan for the day is. That said, I do try to get into publish mode and write something “worth putting out there”, but who decides what’s worth putting out there? I mean, being on the internet as much as I am I see sooooooo much garbage (in my opinion, but one man’s trash is another man’s treasure or something dumb like that), it’s incredible. So many people that I don’t think should be clicking publish, whether it’s on their website or even a Facebook or Twitter post, are pushing publish.
Now look in the mirror, are my thoughts and ideas and opinions and views worth a damn? I don’t know, I honestly don’t. I do know that when I write I usually feel better. That’s when I write for myself. When I click publish though, it does feel good when people connect with my thoughts but I also get nervous that my thoughts are stupid, not well organized, or could possibly offend someone. Remember, we live in a time where it seems everyone gets offended often and easily.
So, what’s worth putting out there?
I still don’t have the answer. I think I’m writing this just to feel my way through the dark room groping for the light switch. I haven’t published consistently on our website in a long time. It feels weird, but it also feels good. Maybe everything is worth putting out there. Then, it’s our job to sift through it all and find the stuff that we can learn from and grow from and that resonates with us individually. It’s a lot of work to sift through all of the stuff out there. Over the last six months or so I have been taking less in. I’ve chosen to ignore all news networks whether it’s on television or social media. I just have a handful of people that I religiously follow. That’s what works for me.
Maybe this is a better answer, before you put that “thing” out there use this quote: “Before you speak, let your words pass through three gates: Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?”
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