Recently a fellow blogger made an interesting comment. DM from the I also live on a farm blog said that a longtime blogger gave him advice that was something like whether you feel a post is awful or well done, not to dwell, ponder or gloat, but move on to the next post. It made me wonder, how do we recover from our bad posts?
Own it
While I’d like to pretend someone else wrote the things I’m not proud of, I’ve found it more effective to step up to the plate and claim them as my own. Then I can figure out why I published something that wasn’t my best effort. Sometimes it was hurry or impatience. Other times it was because it was touching something deeper that I didn’t want to look at so I just hit publish. The other category where I go wrong in my writing is when I’m too much in my head and not enough in my heart, and then I find my pieces lack vulnerability.
Feel it all the way through
No matter the cause of my disappointment, I’ve found it necessary to let the feeling resonate fully before moving on. Otherwise I find myself impatient in traffic, indifferent to the cat, and irritable with the kids. There is no end to the subterfuge my emotions will use to wreak havoc until I trace the feeling back to the source.
I frequently think I should be able to minimize this step. After all, it’s just a post. But it’s also about practicing life in a small way, so it’s emblematic of the way I roll. Something small becomes something bigger when ignored, no matter the topic.
Make meaning
When I’ve felt it all the way through, I usually am ready to make meaning out of my mess. This sometimes comes with time, and often comes with the grace of someone else’s comment on what I’ve written. Whatever it is, hindsight usually brings an ability to understand how to use this experience, along with so many others, to create an a-ha moment.
Those a-ha’s include things like new posts to talk about how to recover from bad posts, better self-awareness about what makes me impatient, or an idea to talk over what is really bothering me with a friend in addition to writing about it.
You know what? I don’t think I’m talking about posts after all. This might apply to recovering from just about anything. After all, one of my favorite quotes on the topic is “Never let your failures go to your heart or your successes go to your head.” – unknown.
How do you get over a bad _____________?
For a related post about whether or not it helps to express our frustration, see Bemoaning Our Fate on my personal blog.
Please check out these other items of interest:
More about Wynne Leon and the personal journey to become a single mom, writer and speaker
Workshop about cultivating resilience through creativity that I delivered with Dr. Vicki Atkinson
Speaking and workshops on how to use creativity to spark innovation, problem-solving and strong teams
Podcast about the how and why of creativity
Resources for corporate creativity
Corporate needs assessment for cultivating team creativity
Individual survey for stoking the creative fire
You can find me on Instagram and Twitter @wynneleon
(featured photo from Pexels)