Publish Your Joy

stop downplaying, postponing, and denying it!

I have let major milestones pass without even mentioning them to friends or family irl or posting them online.

I SPENT MORE TIME MAKING THIS GIF THAN I SPENT TELLING ANYONE ABOUT ANY OF THE MANY THINGS I’M PROUD OF

Who among us has not accomplished a major goal or made insane progress without acknowledging it? I have done majorly bad ass shit in my life, but don’t ever share it because I haven’t wanted it to seem like I’m boasting.

I even put off writing because, even though I consider myself to be a writer, I hesitate to even give myself the title. If I think I’m a good enough writer to publish it, am I an asshole? If I think my art is good enough to sell, am I a dick? If I think I give good enough readings to offer them as a service, is my ego too big?

I have rolled my joy up tight and bottled it up, keeping it to myself because I didn’t want to come off as if I thought I was hot shit because of what I’ve achieved. Who the hell taught me this? I wonder.

Photo by Birmingham Museums Trust on Unsplash

Newsflash: I am hot shit, though. I’m like dropping hints that I’m awesome.

Here’s what I’ve learned from my many years of cultural data-mining (otherwise known as ~lurking online~): people want to see you succeed. I desperately want to see you succeed, massively and beyond your wildest dreams.

Because, my dudes, guess what? Your audacity, your success, your joy gives the rest of us permission to achieve our own.

Even if you’re doing something someone around you is jealous of what you’ve accomplished, the people who love you want to see you succeed.

Bonus: publishing your joy will help you find the people who want to see you be joyful.

Publish your joy because it’s contagious. Because it really is amazing that you’ve accomplished awesome shit. Nobody has ever told me to stfu when I share my good news.