You don't have to be special

As many sunrises and sunsets as I’ve seen, I’m always happy to see another one. (Image by Giani Pralea)

You have something valuable to share.

That may come off as a platitude, but I really do believe it.

To be clear, I believe it to be true of everyone. We each have our unique take on being human. We each have perspective that could be useful to someone else and stories that others can relate to, laugh along with, or learn from.

That doesn't mean we all have what it takes to be social media influencers or memoirists. These are specific jobs that you or I may or may not be cut out for.

But the sense that there is a dividing line between those who are worthy of sharing their work and those who are not is a false one. You don't need to earn a seat at that table. You just plonk yourself down and help yourself. You don’t have to be special to share your stuff.

When we buy into the idea that we don't need someone else's permission or validation to start putting ourselves out there and we don’t need to be special, we can skip a lot of soul-searching and navel-gazing. We can stop trying to assess whether we've reached an imaginary threshold of remarkability. We simply do what humans do: We participate in the world around us.

It's true that a world in which everyone feels free to offer their opinion is a noisy one. Some people will find your work boring, annoying, or challenging. Some people won't even find it at all. And yet, that doesn't negate the value of it.

Mostly, when we begin, no one is paying attention. Instead of being disheartened by this fact, however, we can take advantage of it. We can use the freedom from scrutiny as an opportunity to experiment and iterate.

Instead of worrying about "building an audience," we can build relationships. We can strike up a conversation with one person and connect with them. As we repeat this process, we get less lonely and more confident. This emboldens us to keep making connections and to keep creating and sharing.

This approach to art, commerce, and community doesn’t work if what we wanted in the first place was to be special. If we were counting on being famous or celebrated for our amazingness, the the belief that everyone has something valuable to offer diminishes us.

However, if we were hoping to find joy in self-expression and experience a sense of connection with others, then releasing ourselves from the pressure of being special can help us to get out of our own way and make the mark we want to make.

Which way do you want to go?