Be True By Being You!

Happy Thursday, my people!

I hope everyone has been well. I know I have been MIA, but I designate August as my “vacay” month. As I approach the end of August, my Birthday Month (those of you who know me know that I celebrate most of the month in some form or fashion), I am reflecting on beginning another school year as Professor Carter. I also take this time to reflect on my business and writing goals, because at this point we are over halfway through the year. There is still so much I had planned to accomplish by now, so I lay out a new plan on how I will still manage to reach the goals on my list that remain unchecked. This upcoming school year will entail three schools, writing center consultations for one of the schools, and projects/contracts for my freelance writing and The Write Flow & Vibe, LLC. So, saying I will be busy is an understatement! However, I am blessed and grateful for the opportunities as I continue my journey and growth making a living doing the things that I love.

With that being said, the topic of originality has been on my mind lately. When I say “originality,” I’m referring much to one of the most popular definitions I come across – thinking independently and creatively. I was sharing with one of my closest confidants how it is so easy on social media platforms for one to take an idea, thought, saying etc. from another person and throw together a social media post as their own without giving a “shoutout” or even credit to whom the credit is due. Although this has happened to me before, we got on this topic because of a social face-to-face interaction I was having with a group of friends and noticed a pattern with one of the friends in the group repeating-verbatim-every word I was expressing when sharing my thought; even at one point, cutting me off to finish my sentence. Talk about monopolizing the conversation!

But this got me to thinking about how this monopolizing takes place in professional settings as well. I’m sure you can think of a time when that has occurred in a meeting or work conversation. I’ve often thought about my business and wondered what makes The Write Flow & Vibe, after five years, so special or different that my clients come back or how I’m able to attract new clients. For me, I figured it all comes down to originality. There may be many providing the same services and products that you offer, but to be successful and have your own unique flavor or brand, you have to be yourself – be your true original self. Do not fret about the so-called competition (which hopefully, you’re able to create more collaborations over competition anyway) but focus on continuing to bring YOU to the table. Those who pretend or imitate? Their true selves and abilities will eventually come to light.

So, in closing, there is always room to learn and grow (and why not show appreciation to those who have helped you along the way, even if it was just a word of advice or encouragement?). But even through implementing ways to improve, we all have our own unique style and way of doing things – from the way we converse and engage others in our conversations (without having to take over and control someone else’s narrative) to the way we present ourselves and our talents to the world. Be you and give credit where credit is due!