What if You Gave Yourself the Gift of Inner Acceptance?

When we sing in the shower, we hardly expect applause. In fact, that would be awfully weird.

But online, when just about anyone might be clicking, watching or sharing, it’s disappointing to put your work into the world and hear nothing.

Nothing but a black hole that absorbs your best work and reflects nothing back.

And if that happens again and again,... See more

There it is again, that ill-fated delusion: to be special is to belong. To be spotlit, and comfortable there, is to finally be home. I want it to go on and on and on because it’s who I am. There’s a rigidity to the dynamic between a public figure and the public, no matter how porous and genuine we believe the figure to be. Which isn’t to say the dy... See more

I’d spent much of the last decade trying as hard as I could to make a positive impact, from teaching English in South America to working in microfinance in Colombia to volunteering in the Peace Corps in Ukraine to starting an education business on the Internet. This endless striving came from an insatiable need to make a difference, to feel like my... See more

let’s break this down.

as an artist, you have creative superpowers. these are your gifts. truly acknowledge it, see it, be grateful for it. be proud of it, instead of constantly second-guessing yourself. don’t take it for granted or feel awkward around friends with money — or feel like your creativity/sensitivity can be an alienating barrier betwee... See more

One other part about the move I made that day was important: I didn’t ask myself to stop caring entirely what other people think. I didn’t try to stop wanting praise, lots of readers, plenty of blog comments, a positive reception from the audience. I didn’t give up on wanting the magic of human connection that can happen between a writer and a read

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