Pondering...

I went to my creative writing class tonight. It was the first time that we 'workshopped' our writing. (Basically, you distribute and read your work, and the class responds by giving areas of improvement, success etc.) One of the 'workshoppees' (is that even a term???) read their work, and I thought it was great. In talking to them after class, they expressed their insecurities about their work. When I said how much I enjoyed the piece, they were grateful, but dismissive - 'no, it wasn't very good'. Not in an 'awe shucks' kind of way, but sincerely. It started me thinking...

We are so hard on ourselves. It is easier for us to acknowledge other's accomplishments/successes/strengths than it is for us to acknowledge the same things in ourselves. Maybe not everyone...but I think that this is something that a lot of people deal with. We are all well aware of our own insecurities, how we could have done better - it's the internal struggle we all face. From the outside, you don't hear the niggling voices, see that the bar was set way higher than is possible to attain.

I read somewhere about the whole internal dialogue thing - how we say negative things to ourselves about ourselves that we would never dare say to others. How do you develop that skill of looking at yourself from an outside perspective - able to turn off that internal dialogue and see ourselves for the people we truly are - and not nitpick at our own faults and foibles?

See what 5 late nights in a row will do to me - I ramble on.

The picture today is of the crowd at the Police concert. I think I mentioned on an earlier post, I am awed by the fact that so many people in a space are sharing the same moment.

Time for yet another chapter of Harry Potter, and then sleep, glorious sleep!!!

Have a lovely day!