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My best friend no showed my wedding.
To be fair he was only my best friend during my teenage years, but he still missed my wedding. This is what happened…
I invited him to my only wedding.
He RSVPed with a plus one.
He no showed.
A few years later I ran into him and being a curious cat, I asked him why he didn’t show up.
He explained that he received the invitation, RSVP’ed, but never got a final confirmation.
Yep, I apparently failed to RSVP to the RSVP.
PUT A RING ON IT
Despite receiving an invitation, my old school friend still wanted more reassurance to attend the wedding.
Forget my friend’s obliviousness to the wedding etiquette of the world. Remember that he wanted a triple stamp.
“You can’t triple stamp a double stamp!”
— Harry Dunne, Dumb & Dumber
It makes me think of when my son was nine years old and he whispered, “Daddy, is it okay if I just call you, ‘Dad’ instead of ‘Daddy?’”
I met his eyes, grinned, and said, “Of course, my boy. I love you.”
“Really?” he said.
I nodded and his look of uncertainty disappeared, replaced by a wide smile. For eight years, I’ve been simply known as “Dad.”
That moment touched my soul as I saw my boy mature a little more that day. But it also made me contemplate the deeper meaning behind the words we shared.
CAN I GET THE GREEN LIGHT?
We all seek approval.
Perhaps it’s the authorization to partake in something extraordinary, the license to carry out something significant, or the freedom to express ourselves in our own distinctive manner…
But there’s no need for authorization to become the writer you were destined to be. You don’t require someone else’s explicit written consent to spread your words to the world.
When I began blogging in 2015, I submitted articles to several well-known websites, hoping they would publish my work.
Except they all rejected me. Maybe my writing wasn’t a good fit for their brand. However, each time I was turned down, I still published my pieces on my own blog.
Because at the end of the day, I don’t need someone else to validate my writing.
And neither do you.
WITH YOUR KIND PERMISSION
You’re the only one standing between your words and the page.
You’re the only one connecting your pages with the public.
An unfinished piece will never become a bestseller or a blockbuster. That’s why I urge you to stop seeking approval and let your unique voice shine on the page.
I’ll never forget one time when I got stuck. I was paralyzed with fear at the keyboard, unsure of how to bring my story to life on the page.
I couldn’t help but think, “Wow, people are going to think this is the worst novel ever written! It’s a lock, the world will soon know I’m a total fraud!”
However, I quickly jotted down on a notepad, “Trust that you can fix the words later.”
You hold the power to unleash the potential of your writing.
So, delve deep within yourself, break free from self-imposed limitations, and keep writing the story that you were destined to complete.