If you wish to become a poet, I can give you some clues, but please take
your heart medication before you read this through, since it contains
some strong truths.
Don't go around complaining that you are
misunderstood
First, you have to realize that nobody cares
about what you want to be, so don't go around complaining that you are
misunderstood. Artistic sensitivity is fine, but please keep it to
yourself, since there is already too much noise in the world.
Second,
you should just start writing poetry and do not ask anyone for
permission. If you do happen to ask someone for permission, you most
likely won't even get a response. Again, it's not that most people won't
understand you, it's simply that they are too busy with their own
lives.
You have to develop a thick skin
Third, you have to develop a thick skin. This is a
quintessential requirement for any artist, as it is for salesmen and
lawyers. People will criticize your work for no reason, editors will
correct the unique syntax that you have worked so hard to create, and
bookshops will place your poetry books in the cooking section.
Fourth,
you have to show your work around and try to find the small percentage
of people who might like your poetry. No matter how good a poet you are,
that percentage will always remain small, but remember that there are
6.7 billion people in the world. Even if only one person in a thousand
likes your poetry, that still makes 6.7 million people.
When will you know for sure that you are a
poet?
I know
that you are going to ask me when you will know for sure that you are a
poet. This is an easy question for me to answer. You will know one day
in the evening, after many years of taking daily steps towards your
goal.
By that time, you might be already discouraged and ready to
quit poetry altogether, but take heart. On that evening, you will be
invited to a party by someone you barely know. You will attend in the
hope, after so many years, of meeting a publisher who will really
appreciate your work.
Ten minutes after you arrive at the party,
your hope will vanish. Nobody will pay any attention to you and you will
wonder if you have received the invitation by error. You will retire to
a corner to sip your green tea in loneliness, but then, you will
realize that two young women are staring at you from the opposite side
of the room.
The two will cross the room and stand still a meter
away from you. "Can we ask you a question?" one of them will say.
"Sure," you will reply, wondering if they are mistaking you for someone
else.
"We want to become writers," they will continue. "Could you
give us some advice about how to write a book?" At that point, you will
frantically try to figure out a brilliant answer, something that will
identify you as a successful poet.
You will look around the room,
a little desperate, realizing that you have no good advice to offer.
You will wish that someone would join the conversation and give you the
answer, but of course, no one will.
Your piece of
advice
As you mumble your piece of
advice, you will feel embarrassed by your lack of ideas and imagination.
"Writing a book is easy," you will say, "you just start at the
beginning and finish at the end." Then you will blush, ashamed of having
spoken out such triviality.
The two women will stare at you in
silence for a long time and then exchange a satisfied look. "I told you
he was a poet," one of them will comment in awe. "You were right," the
other will concur. And at that moment, at that very moment, you will
know yourself for sure.
For more information about rational living and personal development, I refer you to my book about how to be rational "The 10 Principles of Rational Living"
[Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com]
[Image by Jeff Kubina under Creative Commons Attribution License. See the license terms under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us]
Saturday, 6 October 2012
My best 21 investment ideas. Which stocks to buy now. Top investments national, and international. Which are the best stocks?
- Stocks to buy in the stock market today.
- What to invest in for future income
- Dividend stocks to create an income stream
- The best investments today
- Solid growth stocks for conservative investors
- Which stocks to buy now
- Best stocks and shares
- Where to invest at this time
- Top investments national, and international
- Making money from investing
- Which are the best stocks?
- Baidu (China)
- Ford Motor Company (United States)
- Bank of Nova Scotia (Canada)
- Sysco (United States)
- United Technologies (United States)
- Medtronic (United States)
- Arcelor Mittal (Luxembourg)
- Ericsson Telephone Company (Sweden)
- Procter and Gamble (United States)
- Pepsico (United States)
- Delhaize Group (Belgium)
- Nippon Telegraph andTelephone (Japan)
- Schlumberger (United States)
- IBM (United States)
- Caterpillar (United States)
- eBay (United States)
- 3M Co (United States)
- Astra Zeneca (United Kingdom)
- Market Vectors Africa (ETF Africa)
- iShares MSCI Russia Capped Index (ETF Russia)
- Kraft Foods (United States)
Labels:
Entrepreneurship,
Investment,
Personal Development
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