Good is Subjective

This is a great thing

I think the thought, ‘I’m not a good writer,’ has stopped more writing than any other. It has definitely stopped the most writing from being shared. The issues I have with ‘good’ are many.

1. It is just a person’s opinion. Everyone has an opinion. Some will think your writing is good and some won’t. Basing the value of your writing on such an undefinable and unpredictable measure is not a good plan.

2. Your definition of good has come from other people. Mostly from parents and teachers who felt their job was to judge or grade your ability. Their opinions don’t matter now. There is no one grading the writing you do here.

3. It doesn’t matter if it’s deemed good. To get more skilled at anything, you have to do it. Thinking it’s bad is what is preventing it from getting better.

4. It doesn’t matter if it’s ever good. The purpose of writing is for the joy and discovery of writing. We aren’t making a product, we are enjoying the act of creating. These are very different goals. You can never be bad at the act of creating if you are enjoying the creating.

I choose to base my writing on how truthful it is, not how good it is. I think that truthful writing is what has the power to link us to our true thoughts and feelings (ie. the authentic self that all the self-help world talks about.) I also think that truthful writing is what links us to other people. It’s what helps others recognize something in themselves that is familiar. That is a gift like no other.

My goal is to cultivate truthful writing. To do that, it is necessary to leave the concept of good at the door for a while. You can feel free to leave it there forever if you like, but if that feels too big just leave it there for a little while so you can get started.

Today I want you to journal on your ideas around the word good. You can stick to the arena of writing if you like. If you want to go deeper, you can think about good in terms of your actions, your thoughts, your relationships, etc. Think about where your ideas of good came from and if you actually align with those ideas now.

Remember, no one is reading this. Give it full permission to be bad, to have bad spelling, to be poorly articulated, to not make sense. Just keep writing.

Lots of love

Dawn