We can easily see how this applies to people in sales, marketing, or other business-related positions. But how does this apply to writers?

Here’s a simple principle to remember: Writing is not about the words. It’s about the people who are affected by your words.

This means we not only try to write well, but we keep in mind whom we’re writing for. We’re writing for human beings who are pretty much just trying to get through life on a daily basis.

We’re writing for that single mother who is struggling. For that teenager who is trying to fit in. For that new father who feels a new weight of responsibility. For that man in his 50s who just found out he has advanced prostate cancer.

More than anything, people want to have hope. Hope comes in many forms. It can look like self-help books, podcasts, novels, short stories, blog posts, business books, or many other things.

We writers are called to be brokers of hope. Our currency is the words we use. Whatever you’re working on today, think about the faces of the people who will read those words. Remember that your words can bring them hope by making them laugh, cry, reflect, or take action toward their dreams.

Could there be any better calling than this?

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It’s natural to feel angry and frustrated when there is so much division and our normal sense of life has been disrupted. And why not? That’s what everyone else is doing. It’s also easy to let yourself slip into a cynical attitude about life.

A cynic is a person who assumes the worst about everyone. They believe everyone acts out of self-interest, and any appearance of good behavior or generosity is just a ploy for someone to get what they want.

Lots of entertainment is based on this notion of human behavior. For example, the most popular sitcom of all time, Seinfeld, was based on a pessimistic view of human nature. In fact, the mantra of the show was that no characters would ever grow or learn anything.

That’s fun to watch on TV, but it doesn’t work in real life. You can’t be a positive influence in someone’s life if you only believe the worst about people.

The great author F. Scott Fitzgerald, said, “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function. One should, for example, be able to see that things are hopeless and yet be determined to make them otherwise.”

It’s true, this is a dark time in history where we have a few more crises than usual. But don’t give in to negative attitudes of everyone around you. This period we’re in right now may seem hopeless. But as writers and creators, we are part of the solution. We must not be part of the problem.

The pessimists and cynics may have their moment. But in the end, cynics don’t change the world. Hope always wins, every time.

Question: Would you describe yourself as a person of hope or as a cynic? Why?

The post Hope Always Wins appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

You were born with a gift. You can think of it as a beautiful white pearl. This gift, this pearl, is meant to be shared with the world. As a child, you were excited to share your gift with others. But over the years, as you accumulate disappointments, rejection, and hurts, your pearl becomes dark and encrusted.

With each passing year, a layer is added to your pearl. One day, you notice you’re carrying around a dark lump and wonder how you got it. You’ve forgotten there is a pearl buried deep inside.

Most people either get used to the lump or they simply throw it away. But a select few remember the gift they were given. They understand that their life’s task is to keep breaking through the layers until the pearl is discovered once again. Then, and only then, can they share the beauty of their pearl—their precious gift—with the world.

Your task today, and every day, is to do the work of uncovering your pearl. Some days you will feel cynical or discouraged. Other days you will feel tired and hopeless.

It doesn’t matter. Even on those days, you must work at keeping your gift, your pearl, beautiful and restored. Don’t let it get encrusted, and by all means, don’t ever throw it away.

The world needs your gift.

The post Uncovering the Pearl Inside appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.