An Expert on Life · 12 February 2011
Recently, I listened to an audiobook called Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk. (For those who are regular readers, both real and imaginary, it was why I turned on the radio in my truck the other day. See Classical Music and Me.) In his book, Mr. Vaynerchuk said that those who will make money on blogs need to be experts on their subjects to really monetize their passions. But he also said to follow your gut. In my case, I am as much of an expert on life as the next person, which is not saying much, but my gut says to keep writing what I am writing. Even if I am not the foremost expert on life.
I have heard over and over that we need to be passionate about what we do. I hear it all the time in my classroom. And I believe it, because I am the one saying it. I teach because I am passionate about teaching kids. And I write because I am passionate about writing. Still, I buck the notion that I must write about only one subject. That I must be the expert or at least one of the top ten in my subject matter as Mr. Vaynerchuk says.
To show that I am really bucking the establishment, years ago, a writer told me in an email that I should stick to one genre if I was going to make it as a writer. But I still believe that I can write for many different audiences and for different media. My other website, MichaelTMiyoshi.com, is full of different types of writing from poetry to songs to essays to short scripts. Granted, this does not mean that I am any good at any of it. But I am just cocky enough to believe that writing about life, any aspect of life, is something I am good at. It is something that I have a passion for. And quite honestly, I am the foremost expert on at least one life. Mine.
As I cruised the internet looking for blogs similar to mine, I realized that there is really not a category for my Musings. I simply do not fit into any nice neat category. I do not just write about kids. I do not just write about my career. I am certainly not a humor writer. For while I would not mind being as funny as the late Steve Johnston (who gave me a few tips on writing) or Erma Bombeck, humor is not my niche. Nor are any of the other neat and tidy categories out there. I just like to write about life as it happens to ordinary people like me (and those unfortunate souls around me close enough to get mentioned in these pages.)
There may never be a category for the way I write, but that is okay. My goal for writing has always been to make people laugh, cry, or think. Or any combination of the three. I tell my stories because they are everybody’s stories and I have the desire to write them down. Hopefully I entertain people in the process, but regardless of the reactions of my readers (both real and imaginary), I have a great time doing it. Which brings me back to where I started.
I am passionate about what I do. I love to write even though I go against the conventional wisdom of writing to a particular audience about a particular subject. While that may not get me lots of followers, I know in my heart and in my gut that I am doing the right thing. I still have readers (both real and imaginary) who love what I do. At least some tell me they do. So while I might never really Crush It! like Gary Vaynerchuk does, I am having fun doing what I love. Which is the whole point of his book.
I never really knew until recently that Confucius said it (probably) first, but he, Mr. Vaynerchuk, and I preach the same thing, “Love what you do and you will never work a day in your life.” I love to write. And I am going to keep following my gut and write about life.
© 2011 Michael T. Miyoshi
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