by Brian Clark
After hearing he had a torn ligament and a double stress fracture of his left tibia two weeks before the U.S. Open, Tiger Woods looked at the doctor and said, “I’m playing in the U.S. Open, and I’m going to win.”
Win he did, which is amazing in its own right. Even more remarkable is the level of dedication and focus Tiger had to play 91 holes over five days on a severely injured knee that was getting worse.
But the thing that truly demonstrates the man’s character is he never mentioned the torn ACL or the stress fractures. Some talking-head pundits were speculating as recently as yesterday that the knee wasn’t all that bad.
Tiger may have used his golf club as a cane, but he refused to use his injury as a crutch. It would be easy to let the media know how bad the knee was as an easy advance excuse for losing.
His silence makes for a more legendary story, right?
It’s a lot easier to succeed online than it is to become the greatest golfer who ever lived. But to succeed, you do have to have dedication and focus.
And when you encounter obstacles, you make adjustments, investments, and even sacrifices. But never excuses.
About the Author: Brian Clark is the founding editor of Copyblogger, and co-founder of Teaching Sells and Lateral Action. Get to know Brian better by following him on Twitter.
Writing Content 11 comments
Karen Andrews is an award winning short story writer coming up to the second year anniversary of her blog www.miscmum.com. Her first book, a children’s picture book called Surprise!, will be released in Australia in October. Further details can be found at www.miscpress.com.au
I recently spoke at a writers’ festival about the potential confluence of my blogging ‘world’ with my writing ‘world’ as the release of my book looms. There I posited the benefits this might entail; how one might help the other in terms of marketing and exposure.
As I thought about what I wanted to say that day, it occurred to me just what a difference blogging has made to my life. I don’t think I’m alone, either. Wherever I turn these days it seems like every blogger I read or admire is coming out with a book. I wondered, surely this is no coincidence? What is it that bloggers are doing to be so proactive and productive? What can we learn from their achievements?
For me, it boils down to one thing:
I am what is often described as a ‘personal blogger’ (some might say ‘mommy blogger’). I suppose if I was to label myself, either term would be acceptable, but my point is no matter what field you specialise in, blogging is a fantastic medium for experimentation. Through words, video, and photographs one can truly find a means of expression that they’re comfortable with and communicate vividly through. I get so pleased for people who discover their voices; say what they’ve always wanted to say and mine their life’s experiences to tell wonderful, funny, poignant stories. For some, their voice becomes immediately recognisable. And famous. Perhaps profitable, if that’s important to you.
The truth is, once you’ve found your voice, a whole lot of the blogging questions which you inevitably face are easily answered. Clarity lets you say ‘no’ as much as ‘yes’, depending on the circumstances. It lets you focus on what’s most important and for me that’s the writing process itself.
It is, however, a process.
You might write a blog which only grabs a handful of comments per post – if that. You might feel you’re languishing in undeserved anonymity. You might wonder why aren’t your words more powerful? More popular? Why don’t you have as many subscribers as this or that person?
I can’t solve any jealousy issues you might have (and I think we’ve all had them from time to time, if we’re honest) because that kind of external validation has nothing to do with the place where your passions and motivations are rooted inside. And if your validations and motivations are connected, then perhaps you’re a different kind of writer than I am. For example, I often write about my children. As I see writing about my children as a celebratory act of their lives, any response I get back from readers – good or bad – doesn’t shake the integrity I have each time I sit down and think of what I want to say.
Your voice doesn’t have to be likeable to everyone. It only matters that you’re happy with it.
It also doesn’t mean that everything automatically falls into place every time you sit down at your keyboard; that words will spill out effortlessly. Writing, as many people quickly discover, can be a hard slog. But it helps if the basics are there.
Cultivating your unique voice may take years, but eventually you will come to a point when you stand back from what you’ve achieved, from modest beginnings, be proud, and turn towards the future.
The rewards are worth it.
Raise your hand if you know who Gary Vaynerchuk is.
For those of you with non-elevated arms, Gary Vaynerchuk is the host of Wine Library TV, a daily online video show on wine that serves as a promotional tool for the local and ecommerce wine business he’s involved in. Gary’s web fame has landed him in The Wall Street Journal and Time, and he’s appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and Ellen.
So what’s the big deal?
Click to continue →
June 16, 200830 Comments
