I AM NOT A WRITER
Yes I said it… I am not
“a” writer.
I’m not leaving you in
a state of confusion; am I? Okay, stay with me to the end of this article and I’ll
explain what I mean.
I remember what
happened sometime ago, after finally getting through to a fellow ghost-writer. While
we were doing the introductions, this lady also had me in a state of confusion (just
like I have you. Lol!), and what was supposed to be a quick intro turned into a
session. Be intentional about your conversations. They can reorient your views.
“You’re also a ghost-writer;
right?” I asked this lady.
“Nope!... I am the certified
ghost-writer” She replied.
Your guess is as good
as mine. The response shifted my eyebrows. Natural reaction was about making me
feel somehow about her response, but I didn’t let my emotions get the better of
me. After our conversation, I came to the conclusion that I was going to
make every necessary effort to get my status from “A” to “The” in whatever I do.
Try introducing what you do with an “A”, then repeat the process and replace it
with “The”.
“A” somehow sets a
limit to what it is the other party needs to know about you, while “The” opens up
space for a further inquisition into your persona and what you stand for. “He’s
a man” is a statement that is most likely to get an “Ok”. But “He’s the man” is
most likely to get a question “He’s the man that (did) what?” Notice the
difference?
A couple of days ago, I
was conversing with my kid bro who’s currently serving his country in the
north. He was telling me how some random peeps were asking him if he was
related to Elijah “The Writer guy” because of his surname. I smiled ‘cos it
made me remember how I was asking someone if she was related to Chinua Achebe because
of her surname.
Be good and be good at
it.
Meaning, be good at
what you do, and let the world create a mental attachment of that thing to you.
Zaha Hadid was not “an” Architect; she was “the” Architect. Wait! Do you know
that I’m also an architect? (Not yet “the” architect. I’m coming. Lol!). Floyd
Mayweather is not “a” boxer; he is “the” boxer. Lionel Messi is not “a”
footballer; he is “the” footballer. Jack Ma is not “an” entrepreneur; he is “the”
entrepreneur.
You are not “a” (insert
what you do). You are “the” (insert what you do), who takes the best approach, produces
the best possible result, and gives your client the utmost feeling of
satisfaction. Did you notice the difference in the length of the two sentences?
Now, understand that it takes intentional investments to go from “A” to “The” but
if anyone tells you it’s not achievable, you have my permission to get them arrested.
“If a man is called to
be a street sweeper,
he should sweep the
streets even as
Michael Angelo painted,
or Beethoven
composed music, or
Shakespeare wrote
poetry. He should sweep
the streets so
well that all the hosts
of heaven and
earth will pause to
say, here lived a
great street sweeper
who did his job well.”
- Martin Luther King Jr.
So my friend, I am not
“a” writer; you see? I am “the” certified ghost writer who sometimes, when
searching for things on Google, stumbles on search results of articles he wrote
himself. I am “the” writer behind some books you’ve read and applauded the
authors. I am arguably “the” most spontaneous writer you know.
Be good and be good at
it.
Cheers!
Mature Minds Talk.
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