Give What You Have

How else will you know the true value of your efforts? And a gift freely given attracts a wealth of other gifts in return.

“Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.” — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Share your work, good and bad.

What you consider the worst may be the best. What you consider garbage may be treasure. You will never know if you don’t share it with the world. And you will never benefit from what is given in return.

When starting as a creator, what you think will resonate often misses the mark. Instead of playing the guessing game, stop worrying about it altogether. Simply do what brings you joy. Then share...

• The result

• The process

• The good and the bad

• The gifts you receive in return

Reinvest all of this and more back into your creative process and future creations.

Sharing builds trust and credibility. Sharing how you do what you do, both the good and the bad, forms a warm patina of authenticity. Share consistently, and you will attract fellow travelers as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow.

Don’t bother...

• Niching down

• Obsessing over follower counts

• Despairing over the lack of initial engagement

None of this is important when starting out. YOU are all that matters. Use this quiet time to get acquainted with your craft and the process supporting it. Create freely. Create without limits. Your heart and soul know what to do.

Never make the mistake of valuing the gift of your creations in terms of only money. Even something you give freely pays dividends...

• You make friends.

• You become known for something.

• You learn new skills from fellow travelers.

• You generate new ideas, insights and perspectives.

And this is only the beginning of the wealth you receive in return for a gift freely given.

So give what you have... early, often and with a kind heart. The compounding return on those gifts may take some time to build. But one day they will astonish you in their size and intensity. The universe never fails to honor its creators.

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🤔 Food for Thought:

Are you giving what you have?

The good and the bad?

The process and the result?

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⚙️ One Small Step:

If you are rediscovering your creativity, tune out the flood of advice from every corner of social media. Much of it is well-meaning, but you are not ready for it. Focus first on creating consistently and finding the joy in both the act and the difficulty inherent it.