by chandiniann | Mar 22, 2022 | Interesting Reads
Writing as a business and for a living has been with me for the last 11 years and what I have realized is, that I write best when it is personal. This kind of writing has a ‘soul’. This kind of writing allows my unique voice to shine through – share my experiences, tell my story, bare my vulnerability and humanness, and enable readers to ‘bond’ with me. I must add though, that writing with soul is not always about one’s personal life. It is the kind of words that sparkle with vivacity and brio – a sparkle that is transferable. I often find myself telling myself to stop using my head and hand over the ‘pen’ to my heart. And it works.
The most important thing for me while writing is to never wear a mask. The mask of pseudo perfectionism or being a crackerjack – these personas are easily shattered. I have and will continue to share my susceptibility, my errors, and my doubts.
Even as a solo-flyer, there is a truckload of competition but my rule has been simple. Rather than ‘fighting’ the competition, I choose the path of differentiating myself – allowing ‘me’ to shine through, while still engaging in a conversation with my readers. This is true for any work/profession – sharing yourself and your experiences gives the persons listening to you, the freedom to do so too. In the words of Leonard Cohen: Ring the bells that still can ring, Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack, a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.
Perfection is boring – it lacks sparkle and the ability to go beyond. As humans – we all are imperfect, quirky, idiosyncratic, and flawed – and it would be unwise to try and hide these inadequacies. I feel more at peace by embracing my quirks and flaws – it is comforting and not just for me. Think about it – do you prefer being around that ‘oh so perfect person’ or that ‘crazy and eccentric’ friend who allows you to be you?
I have always wanted my writing to comfort – allow those reading it, to argue with their inner critic and know that they are great despite the self-doubt. My writing is about the portrayal of a real human being. When writing, I prefer to ‘close the door’ – on the world and on the inner critic – and work on the first cut, uninhibited and without focusing on sharing it or possible praise or brickbats. The aim is to write with soul!
There is enough ‘writing’ out there that is loaded with falsity, ennui, aimed at ‘shocking’ for the sake of it. Why add to it? I would rather continue writing to build a ‘real’ human connection – and that means writing from the heart. I don’t have a humongous marketing or branding budget – I would rather write in a way that gets readers to like my work and know me and remain in anticipation to read my next piece. It is about being relatable and daring to be different – about putting ME into every piece. So, why do YOU write?
by chandiniann | Mar 17, 2022 | Guest Insights
Whoever you are or wherever your road has taken you, your personal story is your companion on this journey. Have you thought of sharing it with the world – stark and unobscured? Yes, it is scary to break down that wall and bare your soul. There are for sure certain parts of your soul that exist only for you – your thoughts, your secrets.
However, what inspires you constantly, should be shared – find the tools to express what lies inside of you and dare to share that which motivates you – pushes you beyond ‘comfort’. Share your experiences and motivations as an anecdote or in any other compelling manner, such that not only would you help others but also would rid yourself of exhaustion. When you have nothing that motivates you, there is a real danger of building and concealing self-loathing.
You would find it hard to do anything of consequence, feel constantly drained, overthink everything, and worst of all doubt yourself whether you can do or have done anything worthwhile. When you share and feel motivated, you would discover synchronicities in every part of your life. And while, you might believe that motivating yourself is the best form, reflecting on and soaking up the learnings from the lives of others, can be truly stirring and stimulating.
You might say that everyone needs their time and space, to travel their journey. And you are right. However, this journey must brim with productive thoughts and a grounded approach that takes you one firm step at a time. It is futile to waste your energy fighting against where you are currently. Move on to invest that energy to reach where you want to be, while sensibly shedding all that which pulls you down and does not serve your ‘motivation’. It would help to remain circumspect of habits that potentially annihilate you, such that you can defeat the old patterns that seemed ‘comfortable and easily ‘accessible’. Indeed, you cannot hold yourself responsible for what someone else does, nor should you hold on to what happened ‘yesterday’. Blaming the ‘past’ quickly turns into a mindset that is limited and constrained. The only thing that should motivate you is being in control of what can make the life you want. It is all about altering the response.
Looking back should be reserved only to see the strength you displayed in the face of challenges and the hardiness you gained from whatever ‘thrashed’ you. You will (I assure you) feel motivated to see how much you have grown and you will learn to give yourself credit for being tenacious and resilient, and moving ahead with grace even when it may have been the hardest thing to do.
The mistake we often make is to wait for what we deem as the ‘ideal’ path – when we know that a path is created by walking. Rather than waiting to build confidence and motivation to start a journey, take that step and build courage and motivation as you move along. Most often, life never turns out the way we deem it to be. Start by finding that one tiny scintilla that serves as motivation, and you will soon smile and be at peace with even that one baby step that you take as you build a new path.
Keep Motivating!
