On Being Unique

Sometimes I find it hard to write.

Sometimes it's because of a head cold, or loud surroundings, or because I'm feeling down in the dumps.

But it's mostly due to over saturation.

I know you know what I'm talking about - when you spend too much time reading other people's work, and not enough time with your own quiet mind.

Because then, when it comes time for you to actually write, all you hear is comparisons. Each sentence you jot down (whether it be on the computer or on paper) is compared to something you read earlier in the hour/day/week.

You start second guessing your thoughts, and whether or not they are original (or simply re-incarnations and combination of thoughts you've recently read).

And isn't that a shame? When you can't even tell whose thoughts your thoughts are anymore?

So today I retreated. I floated on twitter, but I also spent time reading actual books. I sipped tea, listened to music, and took an extra long, extra hot shower.

Throughout all this, I realized that my heart really does have a voice. Even though, in those darker moments of self-consciousness and lack of motivation that we feel unoriginal, every one of us capable of being a completely unique individual.

Today, my voice wanted to share hope for those of us that feel lost. It wanted to remind everyone to appreciate the smaller things that make us happy instead of comparing our lives to others. It wanted to tell the world to pick up Simply Abundance, because it really is an incredible book that has the power to make women smile on the inside.

I wanted to share what I learned, but for some reason I spent 2 hours staring at a blank page just trying to string enough correct words together to express how I felt. Unfortunately, everyone else's words were blocking mine. Someone, somewhere else had said it better than I ever could.

Isn't it funny how, the moment I decided to write something different from them, the words flew from my fingers faster than I could type. If that isn't a testament to individuality, I'm not sure what is.

So instead of writing about making use of the little things, or how I learned to choose what meant the most to me, I'm writing about the thoughts that make us who we are.

The thoughts that somebody reads and thinks "that's something Shannon really would say" or "that (insert name here), always teaching us something different about (topic)". Because isn't that what a blog is for?

Isn't it our little corner of the earth where we get to celebrate the individuality that is ourselves?

So the next time you get overwhelmed about another writers corner of the interweb, remember to read for pure enjoyment only. Remember to read, and learn, but not to compare.

Remember that what your reading (hopefully) comes natural to the creator and that attempting to implement that writing style, or those features into your own would not be natural for you.

I've been there. Since becoming active in the blogging world, I've seen a handful of online spaces that I'd loved so much, I considered throwing my layout and design out the window for something more like theres. (I'm fairly certain I'm overly prone to having an identity crisis).

Anyone else out there feeling overwhelmed by the unending amount of talent and inspiring floating out there in the virtual world?

Photo Credit