that unique pain of always wanting more praise
Oh, hi friends!
Here’s one truth I’ve experienced over and over...
You will never get enough confirmation that it’s good enough.
One person says “great!” Then you’re going to want five more.
You get a dozen likes. OK, but why not a hundred?
Someone you admire tells you “congrats” — but, oh, what do they really know anyway?
You make it to the quarterfinals of a competition. Pretty good, but not the best.
So how to get around always wanting more?
There’s only one way.
Tell yourself it’s good enough — then believe it.
“My comment most often is ‘You need to rewrite this 60 times.’ And most people, they don’t even want to hear, ‘You need to rewrite it one time.’ But that’s what writing is.”
This is from the David Sedaris MasterClass about humor and storytelling. (I’ll write more about these MasterClasses soon—I LOVE THEM.)
Astonished and inspired to hear that he rewrites an essay 12-18 times before giving it to his editor. What?! Hope this encourages you, whether you’re on draft two or 20. Have an excellent day.
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Thanks, as always, for reading.
Love, Kara