What Comes Easy, Part 1

Why do we believe anything worthwhile can only come from hard work? I recently had a group conversation with several women, my mastermind sisters who are part of a small network of women supporting and helping each other manifest our dreams and desires. All of these women are each, in their own right, brilliant, successful women who are plain damn great at their chosen vocations, yet we all share something in common: a continuous, subliminal nagging belief that what we are isn’t enough, that what we’ve achieved isn’t enough, that there always has to be more.

Why do we dedicate so much of our precious time to these thoughts that don’t serve us? Why are we slave to the belief that anything worthwhile, anything meaningful, can only come from long, sweat-breaking toil? Why can’t we simply ease into the idea that what comes naturally does so because it is an innate part of who we are, gifts from the Divine that we are meant to share with the world? And by the sheer virtue of such gifts coming naturally, they are EASY to employ and use in our service to the world.

Easy doesn’t necessarily mean there’s no need to practice and sharpen our gifts. I’m a firm believer that there’s infinite space to grow and get better and better. I mean easy in the sense that our true gifts just flow – they’re eagerly waiting to be called upon and put to service.

Myself notwithstanding, writing comes easy to me. I can’t explain it other than this is how I’m wired. I think in words: colorful, descriptive sentences that paint vivid images. This is how I show up in the world.

Writing effectively, clearly, succinctly and impactfully is one of my greatest gifts, yet I’ve spent most of my entire adult life running from this gift.

I have a bachelor’s degree in Journalism, yet I chose not to pursue writing because my first “real” job in corporate America quickly shamed me into the belief that I was worthless overhead. I was strongly influenced to believe that as long as I worked in a function that wasn’t directly revenue-generating (corporate PR), I wasn’t all that valuable and, in fact, highly expendable. From there, still an intern several years away from college graduation, I set my sights on getting “into the business,” to roll with the big boys who did real work on the plus side of the ledger.

I achieved what I set my sights on, and over the course of a successful 20+ year career in corporate America, I convinced myself that I was doing the right thing, that I didn’t need to write because anybody can write. Yet I continuously encounter evidence to the contrary. I’m frequently stymied by how people in a wide range of positions can reach their stature without being able to communicate clearly and concisely. The reality is that not everyone can write and communicate effectively, just as not everyone can skillfully dance or sing or golf or fill in the blank.

Writing is my gig, and I’m finally stepping up to own it.