Apologies for flaking out on the post last week. It completely slipped my mind somehow. Not much is going on this week but something did come up today that deserves a little reflection.
A friend of mine got some truly amazing news this week when her boyfriend met her favorite creator from the Cartoon Network. Not only does this woman know who my friend is and about her art, but she gave her a massive complement. When I heard about this encounter, and the opportunity that it's opened for my friend to send in her portfolio, I just about exploded with joy for her. I mean, what are the chances of that kind of thing happening and then becoming such an awesome experience? SO COOL.
I haven't always responded this way to news about my friends' successes and opportunities, though. I've always been excited for the breaks that others get but for a really long time I struggled with allowing their success to demean my own creative worth. I would get upset that no one was recognizing my stuff or I would get depressed that my work must obviously just suck way more than I thought it did.
Why do we do this? Why is it so easy to let a shadow be cast on our own endeavors by the successes of others? Some people respond to this by becoming ridiculously critical of others, trying to tear them down or attributing their opportunities to luck instead of honest effort. Others just become depressed and quit their projects, having decided they must just be failures.
Do you want to know the funny thing about all of this? The successes or failures of others don't cast shadows on our own efforts. We do. We do that. We cast that shadow - which is why no one else sees it unless you talk about it. Most of the time the roadblocks we run into, the writer's block, the stress and feelings of unworthiness, are of our own making. And the blocks we create for ourselves will last longer than those put up by others unless we learn how to recognize and deal with them in positive ways.
Why is it so hard to just be happy for someone else? Without complicating it with anything else. Life is so much easier, so much brighter, so much more inspiring and positive when we can honestly celebrate with each other. I feel so much more inspired to write my own stories when I can just be excited for the recognition and opportunities my friends receive about their own endeavors.
Let's commit to absorb the good vibes from the victories of others and then pass them on in turn.
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