I have always excelled at comparing myself to others. As in: her arms are skinnier than mine so I shouldn’t wear tank tops because I’ll look fat next to her. Or: her house is cleaner than mine so I shouldn’t let her come over for a playdate. Or: my mid-term won’t be the best in the class so why bother working too hard on it. Ridiculous, I know.
So when Kent from the Augusta Gazette emailed me a few weeks ago and offered me a chance to write a weekly column I wondered if he’d looked at my blogroll. As in: most of my friends could do a better job writing for his paper than me. Again comparing myself to others just for an excuse to hold myself back.
But maybe I’m learning that I don’t have to be perfect. I don’t have to be the skinniest or have the best house or be the best writer in order to do a good job. All that is required is that I try my hardest and write the best product I can. So I’ll continue writing for the Gazette and each time trying to do a better job than the last, and in the process I’ll try to stop comparing myself to others.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Okay – this is ridiculous because I know you an do a way better job than me! I read the first column and loved it. You’re going to be famous – I just know it
I like your arms, your house & your writing!
Hee Hee.
I am so excited that you have this amazing opportunity!
Hmm…I will have to pay closer attention to your arms next time I see you.
Erin, you need to give yourself credit! You are a great writer and I think they found the perfect woman for the job- can’t wait to read these columns of yours!
Congratulations on the opportunity Erin! I’m excited for you and I look forward to reading your column!
I just love you, Erin. Thanks for sharing your heart and thanks for being willing to move past that ridiculous phantom woman (ya know, the one that doesn’t exist, but we all try to live up to anyway) that plagues most of us and share that journey with us. You’re inspiring!
I STILL CANT SEE YOUR ARTICLE! PLEASE HELP!!!!
I saw the article about your new column in the Augusta Advantage. I don’t know anything about your arms or your house, but I’m always interested in checking out Kansas bloggers, and I look forward to seeing more of your writing here and in the Gazette.
I see you’re a Pioneer Woman fan, too. (Well, really, who isn’t?)
I absolutely love your blog design. It’s one of the coolest I’ve seen. Did you do it yourself or did you have someone design it for you?