You Can Bank On It! A Special Account for Writers
Oh, I’m sorry! Did you think this post would be about authors and money? Because it’s not. It is about a collections account and the writing life, but it’s about a different kind of collections account. It may not make you financially rich (or it might), but it will make you rich in positive emotions.
Compliments are like having money in the bank. Both give us a sense of security and well-being. So shouldn’t we open an account where we can keep compliments safe and watch them grow with interest?
A small notebook, journal, index cards, even a napkin will do to create a list or an account to deposit compliments. A compliment collection has value and serves many purposes. If we pay more attention to compliments, they’ll squeeze out any negative remarks that may be thrown our way. Isn’t that priceless? A compliment collection can also combat the dastardly inner critic when it offers unwelcome discouragement. The best part? Compliments can give us that extra push to pursue our dreams with a more definite purpose. And they remind us that we can do it!
Keeping track of niceties about our books, our writings, or anything that promotes a happy flutter inside of us, is a must. It helps us acknowledge our strengths and reminds us how much we love what we do. Years ago, I kept track of wonderful events that happened to me daily thoughtful gestures from children and Husband and kindnesses from strangers. The driver who slowed so I could get on the road; the librarian who generously brought my favorite cookies to my book event. My insides glowed every time I went back and read through the kindnesses.
Anyone who’s ever had any type of collection, from stamps to teapots to golf balls, knows that collections tend to grow. What better than a rapidly growing compliment collection?
