The Race

I've helping a friend teach a class on the Art of the Blog for the last few weeks and another 2 weeks to go, and it's kind of exciting for a number of reasons. One is, even though I do tech support on a daily basis, it's kind of fun to come up with tech tips for something new and for an appreciative audience rather than a frazzled customer. The other exciting and slightly scary element was the fact that, aside from helping two kids navigate the rigors of potty training, I've never taught anybody anything.I felt like I discovered myself as a writer when I attended my first serious workshop, and, even though I knew we were all different, a part of me always worried that everyone else would be a better writer. Ultimately they were better - better at writing authentically for them. The great thing about workshop last year and the blog class and Open Groups is they're just like being in a 5K. Unless you're in the running for the big cash prize at the end of the route, you won the moment you started the race. It's not about the prize - it's about going the distance. The only person you're competing with is yourself, and encouraging the woman next to you doesn't just help her, it helps you.