Hey, friends.
I was looking back at old posts to find what I should flashback to today, and I came across this one from the first year of the blog. It centers around a saying from a fortune cookie... one that I have written on my wall of doodles and look at every day. I thought since I have been challenging you all to be creative lately, to do something that makes you more YOU, I’d remind you that I have given myself the same challenge many times in my life.
It’s so fun getting to do this journey with all of you. :)
Prove It.
[originally posted November 7, 2008]
I love that I got to work at a magazine. I started out as an editorial assistant and began getting more responsibilities and more writing assignments as time went on. I realize that I barely dipped my toe in the water of what might have been, but my toes enjoyed the experience very much.
One day, on one of my first writing assignments, I was sitting in my office trying to figure out a way to make a complicated technology seem simple to the readers. Since college, my way of writing has always been to do as much research as possible, know my stuff and then set it aside as I sit down and write. I was never good at planning the outline in advance; I would have to start writing before the whole concept could really form for me.
So on this particular day I had done all my research and I started writing. And hitting backspace. And writing. And hitting backspace. I just couldn't figure out a concept or a way to begin. So I did the only logical thing I could think of... I went to the person in the office next to mine and we ordered chinese food. Because when you don't know what else to do, procrastination always seems like the best course of action.
I ate my sweet and sour chicken while we talked about anything and everything besides work, and then I opened my fortune cookie. And I kid you not, this is what it read:
"You are competent, capable and creative. Prove it."
Well, ok then.
I took fate's swift kick in the derriere, went back to my office, took a deep breath and started writing. And it was one of the more fun articles I wrote. The thing is, I always knew what needed to be said and I had the way of telling it inside of me. I just forgot for a moment.
Why am I telling you this story? Because I think we all have so many gifts and so much potential inside of us. Sometimes we have such definite ideas of how something should go that we forget to let go and let life happen. Sometimes we get so caught up in thinking about doing something great, and worrying that it might not turn out good enough, that we forget to start. We forget to take a deep breath and trust that God made us... which means that who we are is enough. It means that whatever we need in any given moment, we have. We just have to trust ourselves, trust Him and trust that we are capable.
And then prove it.