Your Words Will Kick you in the Teeth if you aren’t Careful

You’re an influencer if your voice reaches even just one person

You know that feeling you get when you send a risky text?

You press send but regret it a moment later. Then you play the waiting game.

Finally, the little bubble icon pops up. They’re typing a response. You feel sick from the pressure. What are they going to say?

You can’t tell if you have a fever or if you’re nervous.

That’s how I felt after sending my friends a recent article of mine. It was about my experience with my startup, and it grinded some gears.

I didn’t mean to make anyone upset, but I did. I inadvertently bashed on an experience that wasn’t all that bad, and my friends called me out for it.

All we have is our integrity

The old saying goes: you shouldn’t go into business with friends. It’s sound advice, yet I started a business with my best friend anyway.

In the end, we’re still great friends, but I almost complicated things with my article. The last thing I want is to jeopardize my friendships with my writing.

Not only that, but I sacrificed my integrity as a writer. It’s not that what I wrote wasn’t truthful. It’s that I wasn’t true to myself as a writer.

I failed, therefore I failed my readers.

My goal is to leave my readers with something they can take home. I want to give all my readers a small goodie bag of positive ideas as a thank you for reading my work.

My article didn’t do that. I just presented reasons why something didn’t work and didn’t provide any solutions. Not only that, but I targeted my friend for no good reason.

I learned a tough lesson that day, but it’s one I needed. As writers, we all need the talk. Our words are powerful, and we can unintentionally harm.

Always write from a place of authenticity

I often hear the word “authenticity” thrown around by other bloggers. Every time I do, I nod my head in agreement. My favorite bloggers are my favorites because I know they’re writing from a genuine place.

Indirectly, authenticity is a great way to get views. Writers are honest with their readers because trustworthiness pays dividends.

I’m just starting to realize this. I’m a little over three months into blogging now. I love it, and I can see myself doing it for a long time.

At some point, I was bound to make a mistake. I thought only veteran writers get called out for putting their thoughts out there.

I was wrong. I’m new to this, so I’m actually the vulnerable one.

I admit I stretched the truth of my article. I added five reasons why I did something. In reality, I only did it for a couple of them.

Don’t risk your credibility for views

After I sent the article, my friend responded, “I just don’t know why this article was necessary to write.” I read his text over and over again.

Initially, I defended my position. Technically, a lot of content out there isn’t necessary. Writers write. Photographers snap photos.

A creator does what they are called to do.

New creators, especially, experiment to discover their niche. What they don’t realize, however, is that their voice will eventually reach someone.

You don’t need 100,000 followers to influence people. You just need one.

Anyway, I looked at his text from a biased point of view. I was naive to think about content this way. I thought about my favorite authors and about what they post.

I usually read a given blog post because the author is giving me valuable information. They present a problem I can relate to, and they offer a solution.

In his book, The War of Art, Stephen Pressfield says this:

“Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor. It’s a gift to the world and every being in it. Don’t cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you’ve got.”

I pondered his statement, as well as my friend’s response. I had made a contribution of sorts with my article, but at what cost?

I sat in my car and tried to answer this: Why was my article necessary?

“Why did I write this?”

I couldn’t think of a single answer. In actuality, the sole purpose was to get views. That’s it and nothing more. This time my intentions were selfish.

My article didn’t teach anyone anything. I explained my conflict and how I dealt with it. I didn’t include any actionable takeaways.

Create better content

You may have something to say, but if it doesn’t add anything of value to your readers, it’s not worth saying.

Value is the whole point of better content. If your readers don’t learn anything new, or if you don’t solve the problem you set out to explain, then you’re just posting content for the hell of it. There’s nothing better about it.

From now on, before writing, always ask, “Why am I writing this.” If your story doesn’t help anyone, then it’s likely not worth sharing with an audience. Write what’s on your mind, but keep it to yourself.

There’s a reason people journal.

Write thoughtfully or don’t write at all

I tout the flow state quite a bit. It’s a hack that produces blog posts efficiently.

As a solution to mindless writing, one must plan accordingly. Before writing, think about your story and then flesh it out.

I fall for the trap all the time. I write first and try to make sense of it later. Once it’s written, I figure it’s good enough, and I post it.

I did this with my last article. I just wrote, and I let my emotions take the wheel. I didn’t see the potholes I was driving over.

“I just don’t know why this article was necessary to write.”

It takes five minutes to write down a couple of subheadings. They’re like topic sentences for body paragraphs. They guide the flow of your article.

Subheadings will remind you to stay true to yourself and your positive idea.

There’s enough negativity in this world already. Our job is to add value. It’s tough to do on a day-to-day basis, but nothing worth doing is ever supposed to be easy.

The resolution

When I realized something was wrong, I slapped my PS4 headphones on and joined my boys for our nightly game-time.

First things first, I needed to address the elephant in the room. My friend and I broke down my article together. We both admitted we could’ve communicated with each other better.

We came to a general understanding and gamed all night as good pals should.

In the end, I deleted the article because I value my friendships more than anything. He didn’t have to ask. I wanted to do it.

I’ll admit that it hurt. The article had the potential to be my most viewed piece. I created it that way. The title was fierce, and the subtitle was juicy. But I unnecessarily put someone in a negative spotlight.

Leveraging others as a means of going viral isn’t a way to live. I’m thankful my friends called me out before it was too late.

I’m also thankful to be surrounded by individuals that build me up, even when I inadvertently tear them down. They remind me to be great every day.

I’ll remember to put my best voice forward, even if there’s just one person in the audience.

Join here for exclusive insights + The Effortless Blogger Course