[Writer Blog] Horn Tooting Epiphany
I’m not good at “Tooting My Own Hornâ€. I’m not! Really! Or at least it’s not something that comes naturally to me. Writing bios for conventions and websites almost makes me break out into hives. I think it comes from that super-ingrained cultural phenomenon that says, “Be quiet. Be humble. Don’t make waves. Don’t be loud. Don’t brag. It’s NOT BECOMING.†Even getting a “hey, you’re pretty awesome†cards from my MOM makes me go, “oh, no… not really. I’ve been fill in the deprecating word of choice here†inside. But lately, there’s been a bit of an epiphany (thank you, Curvy Yoga to a degree) that says (within reason because flat out bragging is NOT cool), “You know, I AM – or this thing I did – is pretty darned awesome.†Because let’s face it – hard work it NOT its own reward. You can put your head down, get the job done, and it might not get noticed without a light shined on it. And it’s okay to be the one holding the spotlight.
So, where is this coming from? No, I’m not about to do the “OMG! I’m such an awesome author you should BUY ALL THE THINGS! You can if you want, and I’d be hugely grateful, but that’s not the point. Actually, I’m not all that awesome right now. I’m kinda struggling on the forward momentum of a couple of big writing projects and just trashed a short story I thought had a lot of potential. But I’m working on at least grunt work (typing) that should hopefully jump start the mojo. That and we’ll have the chaotic house under some control by next week.
No, it’s Annual Review Time at the Day Job. I’m working on the whole “this terrifies me to my core†reaction, as well as, Boss’s Office = Principal’s Office = Being in Trouble thing. There’s a form I have to fill out that asks what my “Three Greatest Achievements†are. HAH! I chose to be “programmatic†in my approach to that and I wrote down all the things I did in the last year in these three program areas. This is to help prove – to them and to me – that I don’t have to take the “here’s the cost of living/merit increase†and like it. I can (and should) push for more than the “average of 3%†because I’ve EARNED IT. Even if it is only 3%, it’s still more than what I’ve gotten in the past because then I wasn’t “eligible†because I was part time. Now, I’m making a case because if you look at the list (and it’s not complete – I stuck with my 3 main program areas), the list is pretty freakin’ impressive. And that effort (not necessarily ME but the EFFORT) deserves to be recognized and rewarded.
And that’s a pretty big thing to realize. Welcome to my epiphany, feel free to take it with you and hug it tight. Because whatever it is that YOU DO? It’s pretty awesome, too, because only you can do that thing. And if no one’s said it you today, this week, or this year? YOU ROCK. You’re doing a great job. Don’t just keep it up, blow it up. Out of the ballpark. And listen to the awesome puppy.