That phrase...."Just Do It!" is going to be my mantra for the next millennium! lol
Like many people, I have a lot of weak links, but finishing something, aye, there's the rub! It's even worse for me professionally than it is for me personally because I want to make sure it's closer to being perfect before I put it out there. Now, don't get me wrong. I don't truly believe in perfection. I think it's an unachievable status for any mere mortal, but I do understand that drive to have it land as I intended. And here is where I laugh at myself. I've been missing the point for soooo many years because, in truth, I can't really control how it lands, I can only control how I put it out there to the world! Let's focus on blog writing, for obvious reasons.
I'm a trained English major and taught English to high school students for many a moon, a lifetime ago now it seems. I've had the grammar bug instilled in me (thanks mom). It's important, I feel because it helps us be better understood and God only knows we need more understanding between people on this planet of ours. Yes, I believe that better grammar for a better understanding of what we say to each other is a universal truth...in some circles. Enter reality.
What "Life" has taught me is that not everyone understands everything in the same way, and that doesn't even include the topics of slang and dialects. In fact, I've had some people tell me that I sometimes use too many big words that they don't understand. Yet, if I use smaller words, I have been accused of dumbing things down, and to be honest it isn't very authentic for me. Either way, I've been told the result makes some people feel stupid, which is NEVER my intent; I'm just trying to communicate the best way I know how. However, having taken their comments to heart, I became paralyzed. I certainly didn't want anyone to feel stupid and so I began to second guess everything I was going to say and worry about not being understood. This resulted in me either being tongue-tied, not saying much of anything or being silent altogether. For someone whose passion is sharing knowledge, whether it be a great joke, a fun fact about a certain gemstone, an opinion on a great book or gazillions of other thoughts that flit through this wonderful, crazy mind of mine, it's the kiss of death for communicating. I've worked hard to overcome that false belief and I've had some great success in the spoken word. However, I just came to realize the other day that this has not been the case when it comes to my beliefs about the highly elevated power of the written word.
I've been doing some studying about copywriting and one thing has become crystal clear! I need to use my own voice and make what I'm trying to say more conversational. When I look at the way I text or send thoughts out to friends, I notice that I don't always use the comma in the correct way and those lovely little ellipses.....well, I overuse them (and lol) so much it's almost embarrassing. Yet, here's the thing. The lol I use a lot because I'm forever laughing at myself...some queer take on the way something lands with me I find humourous. It's like a chuckle and a smile all rolled up in one and it makes me feel great. Please realize that it's not about you. I'm NEVER laughing at you, but am laughing at me! Life is too short to take myself seriously on many levels and I hope that my neurotic tendencies never truly take hold. And those ellipses....you'll thank me for them, I daresay. They allow me to pause and regroup and clarify, all in a breath. And now here's the big thing....where Nike's slogan is coming into play.
I'm just going to do it, although not necessarily as Nike had intended when they came up with their slogan! lol, I am going to write to you as I would to any friend, and it will be more often than six times a year. I'm going to share tips and information with you on the website and in newsletters and certainly in this blog. I'm not always going to be perfect, although I will do my best to correct any spelling errors ;). I'm also Canadian and so suffer greatly from forever trying to decide if I should spell words like those in the UK or the US. As Canadians, we aim to please everyone! ;) You'll most likely see extra "u"s or not enough (depending upon from whence you come) and I'll most definitely interchange jewellery and jewelry, for example. Oh, and those stand-alone semi-colons? Those are winky faces, in text form, for those few of you who may not yet be emoji certified. They basically mean I'm lightly teasing and to take what I say with a grain (or healthy dose) of salt.
So, this is a fair warning to you, my friends of new and old. You're going to be hearing from me more often. It's going to be in a more relaxed style, but generally, it is going to be imparting something that I think you'll find valuable. It will be based on research and opinion more than likely and I would LOVE to hear back from you, in your voice, with your thoughts on what I present to you. And don't forget to ask questions or make suggestions on what you'd like to learn more about, so that I can share those ideas or write on those topics as well! Only by sharing can we connect and better understand one another; become a stronger community of people, sharing our wonderful, crazy thoughts, while trying to circumnavigate this amazing world in which we live!
So, what are you just going to do today?
Have a great day!
Smiles, Brenda