Don't Do It For Fame | Don't Neglect Your Relationships
03 // Don't do it to pursue fame.
I find this one to be difficult. The truth is I do want to be noticed. Behind that shallow layer of hoping I\u2019m seen, the deeper truth is I want my life to matter. When I am writing, the pursuit of fame can surface with its natural gravitational pull.
Here is how it can sound,
\u201cMaybe so-and-so will read this and then he will share it and then his\xa0six million followers will read it\u201d.
It is a bit embarrassing to admit, but I believe you\u2019ve heard this whisper also.\xa0When I was writing with my focus on being noticed, it was crap. No wonder no one read any of it. When I made the shift to simply be authentic, a few people began to notice. There is great irony in this principle.\xa0The more we are authentic and relevant, the more the possibility of being noticed increases.
When the pursuit of fame is our motive, the less authentic and relatable we become. Whatever you are pursuing, do a motive check and remind yourself that what the world really needs is you to be authentically you. That is our best bet for being noticed.
04 //\xa0Don't neglect your relationships.
A friend told me about a saying from his mentor, \u201cThe grass is greener wherever you water it.\u201d\xa0I\u2019ve been married for over twenty years and I have not always regularly irrigated our relationship. When I was age 25, I thought my wife could be more like xeriscaping: drought-tolerant. Turns out she never signed up for an inch of rain every three months. I\u2019ve learned the hard way that growth comes where you\xa0regularly\xa0water.
Trust me, your spouse, your friends, your family, your significant other, your sibling, your neighbor, your employees, your child... would gladly receive some relational\xa0watering from you.
Go find that watering can.