I’m not sure why we do this. Maybe we over-compensate in our desire to stay humble. In the process, we undermine the value of the gift we bring to the world naturally.

What comes naturally to you as a writer? Is it storytelling? Outlining a book? Editing? Proofreading? Making clients feel comfortable? Writing a draft quickly? Systems for book production?

Let me share some of the natural skills of a few friends in the Daily Writer Club.

Lucas Marino is a course creator who has a natural skill for taking your book content and turning it into a course.

Karen Hunsanger is an editor who has a natural skill for rooting out errors in your manuscript and making you look better.

M.J. James is a coach for burned-out business moms. She has a natural skill at listening and helping you see the roadblocks that prevent you from having a more peaceful life.

Andrew Wood is a former college professor who is an incredible researcher. He has a natural gift for knowing how to organize complex material and write it in a way you and I can understand.

Perry Gabbard is a former aerospace engineer who is one of the most natural and gifted storytellers I’ve ever met.

Lori Melton is a coach who has a natural calming presence and a gift for helping others discover their spiritual mentors.

Brigitte Cutshall is a runner and book production specialist who has a natural skill for creating books that look amazing.

These natural skills are not unique to them. You also have a natural gift and special skill that is powerful! That’s what makes you a genius in everybody else’s eyes.

Whatever that skill is, you can combine it with writing to create a powerful business and author platform.

Don’t run from your gift. Don’t hide it. Instead, embrace it, cherish it, and nurture it. God gave it to you for a reason!

Today’s Challenge: Grab a piece of paper and write down your natural gift. You know what it is. Are you using it to its fullest potential? How can you keep developing it and combine it with writing books to serve others or even build a business?

The post It’s Natural for You, But Genius to Someone Else appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

That’s how the Cowardly Lion felt just before he and the rest of the gang went in to see the Wizard in Emerald City. In one of the best musical moments of the whole movie, he says,

What makes the elephant charge his tusk, in the misty mist or the dusky dusk?

What makes the muskrat guard his musk?

What makes the Sphinx the seventh wonder?

What makes the dawn come up like thunder?

At the end of each line, the group says, “Courage!” Near the end of the song, the Cowardly Lion says,

What have they got that I ain’t got?

And the answer, of course… is courage.

But is it true? Is it true that you don’t have courage? Or is it possible that we have misunderstood the true nature of courage?

One of the great American writers, Mark Twain, is helpful here. He said, “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear—not absence of fear.” This is a key insight. It reminds us that it’s impossible to get rid of fear. Fear will always be with you. Courage just means that you are taking action and forging ahead even though you are afraid.

This is quiet courage. It’s the kind of courage that ordinary writers practice every day. They get out of bed, they face uncertainty, they feel afraid sometimes, but they do their work anyway because that’s the only thing within their control. They resist fear by taking small daily steps toward their goals.

Quiet courage doesn’t get a lot of attention. The courageous writers don’t make a fuss and don’t draw attention to themselves. They show up, do the work, and serve people through their writing.

You don’t win your inner creative battle with a giant explosion every once in a while. You win it by getting into the trenches every day, staring your fear square in the face, and doing the work anyway.

So, the next time you hear yourself asking, “What have they got that I ain’t got?” … the answer is, “Not a darn thing.” You’ve had your courage with you the whole time. You just need to use it.

Question: What could your life look like a year from now if you practiced quiet courage every day?

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This one is for all the 1980s rock fans out there.

In 1985, the music group Heart was choosing songs to record for its 8^th studio album, which was to be named simply, “Heart.” The group normally recorded songs they had written themselves, but they had been presented with a new song written by Martin Page and Bernie Taupin. Page was a singer-songwriter, who had co-written some notable tunes such as Starship’s anthem, “We Built This City.” Taupin was Elton John’s frequent writing partner.

Page and Taupin had written a new tune called “These Dreams,” which had been offered to Stevie Nicks, who turned it down. It found its way to Heart, who agreed to use it for their next album.

When Nancy Wilson went into the studio to record lead vocals for the song, she had a cold that day. This made her vocals sound raspy. The song went on to great commercial success. Later on, producers wanted her to recreate the same vocal style, jokingly asking her if she could just get sick again.

As so often happens in art, the artist’s weakness had become her secret weapon, at least on that song.

What do you perceive as your “weakness?” Maybe you’re divorced. Maybe you have a physical disability. Maybe people have made fun of you for wanting to be a writer. Maybe you didn’t get good grades at school or flunked out of college. Maybe you have failed in a lot of things and you wonder if you have anything of value to offer.

Let me set the record straight: YOU DO. You have so much value, and so much to offer. I want you to begin to look at yourself differently. Turn it around and begin to see your biggest weakness as your biggest strength. It’s what sets you apart and makes you unique.

Don’t run from it. Don’t hide it. Put yourself out there and be proud of the person you are. You have no idea how many other people will relate to that weakness.

Daily Question: What is your biggest weakness, and how can you use it in your writing to help others?

The post Your Weakness is Your Secret Weapon 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.

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