This week, I had the great pleasure of speaking with writer extraordinaire, Janene Mascarella (www.janenemascarella.com), a successful contributor to many magazines that we know and love. We discussed what it takes to thrive in a creative field such as freelance writing. Janene shared a terrific little story that she sees as a metaphor for what we all must do to move forward in our lives, putting ourselves out there each and every day, with persistence and faith.
The story tells of an aging donkey who lives on a farm. His owner decides it’s time to do away with the donkey, believing he’s seen better days. The farmer digs a very deep hole in which to bury the donkey. In goes the donkey, but each time the farmer throws in a shovel of dirt, the donkey shakes it off, and steps up. And so it goes for hours: dirt on the donkey… donkey shakes it off, and steps up. Shakes it off, and steps up. Finally, after many hours, the donkey has shaken off so much dirt that he reaches level ground, and runs away to safety and freedom.
According to Janene, we all need to shake off everything thrown our way that holds us back and keeps us down. Then we must step up – to what we believe in, and to what we know to be true about ourselves, and what we are capable of. When an editor rejects a pitch, she shakes it off and moves on to the next idea or editor, undaunted, until an acceptance comes (and it always does!).
I think this philosophy couldn’t be more appropriate for today’s challenges. In fact, ever since I heard this little story, I can’t help but think…what do I need to shake off today?
Question of the week: What needs to be shaken off in your life? And how can you step up to reach your highest and best self this week?
Thank you, Janene, for the inspiration!
