This question is easy. When I was young, and probably still do, I tended to underrate myself. There are several reasons for doing this.
- I’m realistic in my assessment of myself.
- I’m trying to be funny and laugh at my paltry efforts.
- I’m trying to be humble and modest like my parents taught me.
- I’m trying to guard my poor ego when someone else underrates me.
It strikes me as funny when I have known people for a while, and they tell me how much I have improved at xyz and how much more confidence I have. Did I really change that much? Was I that awful, diminutive, or incapable when they first met me? Have I really improved or do they just like me now?
Evaluating My Time Commitment for Bloganuary
Now I have a question. I took a break from Bloganuary yesterday after reading Alegria’s post about how self-centric the prompts are. I agree that they are self-centric and therefore easy to write about. However, I haven’t found them objectionable or overly invasive. In fact, if I were still a professional developer, I would write down the questions to use as icebreakers for my sessions. However, I waivered in my commitment to participate based on her post, and my decision to do something else with my time yesterday.
I conducted a test to see if I was the only one of my regular blogging group who was participating in Bloganuary. After looking around at a few friends’ blogs, I couldn’t find many Bloganuary posts. Most of my blogging friends are established bloggers, so they don’t really need practice in blogging every day, and they have their routines established already. However, after reading several posts before Bloganuary, I thought there would be more people I knew participating. So, I stuck in my oar. Now I’m wondering …
Even member of a group, not the leaders usually have some expectation of everyone participating in a group activity after it’s been discussed. I picture teen movies in which the cool kids in the group get a bunch of groupies excited to do something and then drop out at the last minute leaving the not-cool members of the group exposed. It’s pretty funny in a movie.
One year, a million years ago, our pastor’s wife decided we should perform a play and that I should be the villain. I didn’t want to 1. be in any play, and 2. play the part of a villain. About a week and a half into practice, our director decided to take a trip and leave me, the assistant pastor’s wife with no acting experience or ability, in charge of the play. The play faltered and died under my leadership and was completely dismantled by the time she got back weeks later. She was shocked and angry at me. She thought I should have honored my (coerced) commitment. I felt she had betrayed hers and refused to feel guilty about it.
Nobody coerced me to participate in Bloganuary. Even though, I’m busy, I thought I’d give it a try. If you are reading my posts AND participating in Bloganuary, put a link to your most recent post in my comment section, so I can visit you.
If you agree with Alegria, and don’t like the prompts, tell me that, too. Maybe these prompts are causing me to become too self-centric on my blog, and blogging is so much more than that! What do you think? Right now, I am choosing to respond and putting off getting some much-needed exercise because I posted the widget in my sidebar and made a commitment.
I look forward to hearing what you think.
#Bloganuary #blogprompt
Marsha Ingrao - Always Write 
Your babbling is music to my ears. Please leave a comment!