Choosing to be a writer is not an easy decision. Being a writer means sharing your thoughts and feelings and/or pouring out your heart and soul to be judged by anyone and everyone. This is actually one of the hardest parts of writing, at least for me, and it's probably one of the parts that scares away some aspiring writers. I can tell you that there is nothing worse than putting everything you have into a piece only for it to be torn apart or ignored by others. It can really make you question whether or not you were really meant to be a writer. I've had a few of these instances in the past few weeks since returning to write for the Odyssey. Although it could've been a number of factors causing my articles to not gain as much traction as I was hoping them to, I had myself convinced that it was all my fault and that my writing wasn't good enough or that people didn't like my writing and maybe I just wasn't cut out to be a writer, at least not for this platform, like I thought I was.
After stewing over these thoughts for a while, I finally had a moment of clarity: what others think of my writing (or simply anything I do) shouldn't matter. As long as I know that I did the best that I could and I am proud of what I did, no one else's opinion should affect my own. If I believe my work is awesome, then that is what it is. End of story. No matter what anyone else says or thinks, I did what I did for me and no one else. There's no amount of disapproval or ignorance that should stop me from doing what I love to do. Sure it would be nice to have a few more shares or comments every now and then, but what I really need is to learn to appreciate the feedback that I do receive and not worry about how few or how many shares my article gets; because I will keep on writing articles every week despite of that.
And this is a lesson that can be applied to all aspects of life, not just writing. If there's something out there that you really want to do or enjoy doing, don't let what anyone else says stop you (unless, of course, it's dangerous). You're the one who has to live with yourself and your decisions, so you should be the one to make them. In addition to that, you also shouldn't do anything just to earn the approval of someone else, especially if it's not something you really want to do. You should never let your life or your happiness be controlled by other people or things, because you will never truly be happy if you do. In today's very social media-dependent culture, this is a very important thing to remember. Don't let the amount of likes, retweets, shares, or any other form of social media approval dictate your life; and never let someone's approval or disapproval keep you from fulfilling your own happiness.
The only opinion that matters is yours.
The only approval you need is your own.
