Posted on January 2, 2012 - by Lorna Seilstad
It’s Not About Me
Happy New Year Inksper friends!
With the turning of the calendar, we often start looking forward, making plans to do things differently in the new year. For example, one of my author goals is that I’m determined to get my office in order this year.
However, instead of focusing on the future, we wanted to take a moment and look back. So much goes into each of journeys in life and so many people touch our lives that it seems appropriate to take a moment and look at how we got where we are. So, we are sharing some of the best advice we ever received. Many of our posts might be geared toward advice as writers, but all them will be geared toward life.
Here’s mine.
Our high school held grades 10, 11, and 12 only. On my firstday of high school, the first class on my schedule said “newspaper.” I had signed up for the beginning journalism class, but no one had said anything about newspaper. I went anyway. The teacher, Linda Smoley, was surprised to see me.
She looked at my schedule and noticed I was in advanced English. She smiled and said, “Here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to give you a proofreading test and if you do well, you can be on newspaper.” (Please note, she acted like this was a gift.)
It was a gift, but I sure didn’t feel that way at first. Little did I know, our journalism program was one of the best in nation at the time and the bar was set high. I might have passed her test, but since I hadn’t had the journalism class, I had to learn everything from her as we went along. At first, I was given a couple of easy news stories, but then she said it was time to try something bigger and I was assigned a feature story about one of history teachers known for her pint sized antics.
I re-wrote my first feature story eleven times—by hand. Mrs. Smoley wielded a red pen like a sword, and she only accepted something when she felt like it was the best it could be. You can imagine the tears when I faced that story yet again and again, reworking each part.
I wanted to quit.
But I didn’t.
When the feature was finished, I was proud of it. I’d learned what an anecdote was. I’d learned how to tell a story succinctly, and I’d learned the value of writing a killer lead.
I didn’t know it, but I’d learned something else far more valuable, too.
Years later, after I received my teaching degree, I came back to the same high school and worked as her assistant. One day when we were talking, I mentioned re-writing that first story eleven times. She smiled and said, “It was important that you had to do it that many times. What was important was that you did it. I knew then, you had what you needed. It wasn’t about you. It was about the story.”
It’s about the story has become one of the things that have helped me most along my writing journey. Tough critique? It’s not about me; it’s about the story. Scathing review? It’s not about me; it’s about the story. Edits–again? It’s not about me; it’s about the story.
And this pours over into other areas of my life as well. Over and over, I have to remind myself that “it’s not about me.” Especially in my walk with the Lord, I want it always to be about Him. He’s given me the privilege of writing not for me to receive five star reviews, but to glorify Him. I want to make the story the best I can, because I want it to direct others to Christ as the answer to all of life’s problems.
Have you struggled with learning “it’s not about me”? If you’re a writer, is it hard to put your ego aside and do what is best for the story?
If you’re not a writer, are there other areas where you have to remind yourself that this life is not about you? How does taking a moment to look back, help us have clearer vision for the future year?
Let’s start the new year with a lot of good conversation here with our blog family.
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January 2, 2012
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Kav said:
Great story and perfect reminder for the New Year. My 2012 word in Listen and I’m hoping that it will help me get over the “it’s not about me” moments in my life.
I’ve been thrown into some rather challenging work relationships over the years and I keep feeling that there’s something I’m meant to learn from them. When I was praying for my 2012 word, listening came to mind and when I mulled it over I realized that there’s so many ways to listen. I also realized that I needed to listen ‘past’ the words spoken at me. I need to listen for the whys and wherefores of those words and situations I am put in. That will make a difference as to how I react — effectively taking my reaction from self-centered to Christ-centred. At least that’s the theory I’m going for. Hope this makes sense!
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January 2, 2012
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Lorna said:
Kav, what a great idea to pray for a word to focus on for the year. I can’t think of a better one than listen, and you made perfect (and wise) sense. Happy New Year!
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January 2, 2012
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Shari Barr said:
Thanks for the inspirational post, Lorna. I needed a reminder that my writing isn’t about me. Your teacher gave you gift with that statement.
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January 2, 2012
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Brenda Anderson said:
So true, Lorna. I tend to be an inward thinker, taking everything upon myself, rather than directing my life vertically. My writing, my family, my life–none of it’s about me, but it’s about living for Him. It’s about surrender.
Here’s a song that says it perfectly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oowAfKfrYGg.
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January 2, 2012
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Dawn Ford said:
It was a gift to have a teacher take that special kind of interest in a student and push them toward their abilities. And she was right, it’s about the story. That’s a hard one for us to see because these words spilled together become our babies. And who wants to be told our baby has something out of place on it? Great advice!
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January 2, 2012
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Marianne said:
i think that this post is so important – It’s NOT about ME! Life is not about me, nor is anything else about me. Thanks for the reminder.
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January 2, 2012
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Lorna said:
Shari, it’s so easy to forget that about our writing because we put so much of ourselves into it. I think the same goes for parenthood in many ways, don’t you?
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January 2, 2012
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Lorna said:
Brenda, that is an incredible song! I think I need to listen to it every day. Thank you for sharing it.
Dawn, you’re so right. It’s always hard to put our “babies” out there for the world to see.
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January 2, 2012
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Lorna said:
Oh Marianne, I don’t know if you needed the reminder, but I know I sure did. It’s not the message the world sends us.
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January 2, 2012
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Regina Merrick said:
Ugh,Lorna! You just HAD to burst my bubble, didn’t you?
The idea that anything in this life is about “me” is pretty ludicrous, isn’t it? Thank you for the reminder – I’ve been wallowing long enough.