In The Beginning…

For some, starting a new thing is easy.

But for others, the beginning can be extremely difficult. Ever had that time when you were asked to write a paper for school, and you had the entire thing planned out…except for the hook? Then an hour later you found yourself with a blank page?

The same is true with starting writing projects. There are millions of story ideas out there, but choosing the right one is the challenge. It’s not a find-one-and-you’re-set process. The dozen or so ten-page books I’ve started on my computer attest to that.

Why does it take so long to start a project (writer’s block aside)?

Maybe it’s because we’re trying to figure out what our readers want. Rather than letting our creative juices flow, are we focusing too much on trying to appeal to our audience?

Is that a bad thing?

One of the greatest tips I’ve heard – and this comes straight from Dale Carnegie’s incredible book How to Win Friends and Influence People – is to think of what the other person wants.

The majority of people don’t care in the slightest about your objective. They usually only care about their own. Starting a project or book almost always takes multiple attempts because you need to find the best way to hook and engage your readers, so that they’re interested.

Is your teacher/boss going to care if you reference the Dallas Cowboys in a research project on dominance? Maybe. But only if they love football. If they don’t, you’ve lost them. Are they going to care a lot more if you instead refer to their favourite singer’s new album? Of course.

We don’t just write books, start companies, and sell products because we love them. We do it because we think and hope others will love them.

We want to come up with the greatest idea possible. That way we can display our best side in everything so more people will see and enjoy what we do. But when we put all our effort into pleasing humans, rather than God, it becomes an issue. I for one have been a victim of “people pleasing”. Have you as well?

Whose opinion should we care about most?

As Christians, we’re called to witness to others, and the most effective way to do that is to reach out to them where they are. This is a given. However, when we make it our focus to please people, rather than God, we find ourselves falling into worldliness.

Does this mean we can’t ever do anything for people? No. We absolutely should – it’s the reason God put us on this earth. But we need to remember Who we’re doing it for in the long run.

The Great Commandment tells us to Love God, Love People. This could also be interpreted as Live for God, Love People. Our goal should be to do God’s will by ministering and shining His light to others. This should be our aim in every interaction we have with the people around us.

Are we living for God or living for people?