David here, the Unmotivated Motivational Writer, filling in, (I mean taking up a little bit of space), while Jessica is away on a well deserved break. While I’m thankful for the opportunity, there is this part of me saying to myself “Wow! Someone else likes my writing enough to let me be here taking up some 600 words.”
Now, I don’t know if that is just me and my way of thinking, or if it’s a trait in those of us who put words to paper and screen, or if it is in people in general. But I did start wondering about just when do we know we are good at something?
Maybe it’s when our parents take our work and hang it on the fridge. Or when they tell all their grown-up friends about all of the great things we do. Perhaps they may congratulate us at the dinner table for a job well done.
Maybe it’s when our neighbors comment on things we have done around the house. Or it could be when they truly seem interested in our daily work instead of just being nosey. Or perhaps it's when they sincerely ask for help instead of demanding it of us.
Maybe it’s when our friends start to wish they were more like us. Or perhaps it’s when classmates begin to cheat off our papers for a change. It could be when they want to do everything with us no matter what it may be.
Maybe it’s when our teachers stop marking up our papers with the red ink and begin putting smiley faces on them instead. Perhaps it is when they let us clap out the erasers or wash the chalkboards, or maybe they let us help by running important things around the school.
Maybe it’s when our co-workers ask us more questions than we care to answer. It could be when they follow us around picking up things we do or when they get upset when we are out for a few days and they have to fill in (pulling their hair out at the time).
Maybe it’s when bosses say they could not have done it without us. Or it could be when positive comments they make about us at meetings get back to us. Then again it could be when they keep insisting that we can never leave the place.
Maybe it’s when our children ask us for help on their homework or when picking out a nice outfit. Perhaps it's when they get older and realize just how much work we have done. Or, better yet, it could very well be when they look up at us and say "I want to be just like you." (Cue “Cats In The Cradle” by Harry Chapin).
Maybe it takes a lot of things for us to get to that point of believing. Perhaps a lot of people have to say things before we start believing them for ourselves. So many people can influence us throughout our lives. Parents, teachers, neighbors, classmates, friends, co-workers, bosses, clients, our kids, a kind word from a stranger, or being OKd to write a guest posting on a fellow writer’s blog can change the way we see ourselves.
Well, maybe.
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