| I was helping a fashion blogger edit an article in English last week. I so love helping people shape and share their story. And hers was certainly a most interesting one to share. When she sent it to me, she started apologising right away. Before I even saw it. When I asked her why, she said ‘Because it’s crap.’
And guess what?
It wasn’t.
She did what so many people do when it comes to communicating their ideas (not only in English, by the way). She made it small before anyone else could.
Have you ever started a statement with ‘I’m sorry, I just wanted to….’? Or ‘I’m sure it doesn’t matter, but…..’? And yes, the classic ‘I know this sounds stupid, but….’?
Please stop.
People put down their own work first so that other people don’t have to. And you know what? It’s never as bad as you think. As insignificant as you think. As stupid as you think. It might just be great. Brilliant. Game-changing. (It also might not. But still.)
She and I had a good talk about believing in yourself first, no matter what others think. She told me the next article I would get would not be announced as ‘crappy’ before I even saw it. She would feel good about what she did, present it objectively, and just ask for honest feedback.
This would be her first time in doing so.
Would it be yours, too?
When was the last time you felt good about something you did before showing it to someone?
Let’s do that fior the first time, the next time.
Love,
Buffi
PS: This was the funniest headline ever. Thank you RTLZ!
PPS: Thank you all for your reactions about my new book. You have no idea how wonderful that is to hear! |
