Monday, May 20, 2013

Better is ... Better

Better is:
  • taking your time to make sure it's right
  • learning your craft
  • thinking first and talking later
  • thinking first and doing later
  • being proud of what you've done and said
  • helping others with what you've learned
  • having fun along the journey
  • being open to new ideas
  • taking risks
  • stretching your brain and your skills
  • much more than good enough
  • making mistakes in private, not in public
  • sometimes painfully, achingly, tortuously slow
  • better!
What do you have to add?

51 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Excellent list, especially the part about helping others.

Jemi Fraser said...

Alex - thanks - that's such an important part!! :)

Laurel Garver said...

I agree with Alex. All the hard won lessons we gain through taking risks and being open are all the sweeter when we use that experience to help others.

And sorry I haven't been here in months. I tend to be online only in the morning and don't often see you in my feed. Alas! Missed ya, friend!

Jemi Fraser said...

Laurel - missed you too! I'm rarely on until late at night and we do keep missing each other! I'll pop over and see what I've missed! :)

Yvonne Osborne said...

Sounds like a teacher wrote this!

Jemi Fraser said...

Yvonne - teehee! Imagine that! :)

JeffO said...

I don't think I can add to that--that was perfect!

Luanne G. Smith said...

Hey, I'm all for taking your time to get things right. *Ahem* My favorite excuse for being such a slow writer. :P

Great list!

Jemi Fraser said...

Jeff - thanks!

LG - me too!!! I don't know if I'll ever get there - but the journey is a blast! :)

Tammy Theriault said...

i'll add in knowing you are better and worth it then the doubts you hold about yourself! :)

Heather Musk said...

Excellent list. I have trouble with taking my time to make sure something's right. I'm always in a rush to get to the next thing. I'm working on it though.

Anonymous said...

Amazing list. It took me years to realize some of these things.

Natalie Aguirre said...

Great list and I can totally relate to the painfully slow one.

Jemi Fraser said...

Tammy - that's a good one - and sometimes hard to believe! :)

Heather - thank you! I'm getting better at it too! Not always easy :)

Medeia - me too! It's been a while :)

Natalie - that's definitely me too!

Stephen Tremp said...

Being able to lay your head down on your pillow at the end of the day and knowing a good night's sleep is your reward for all the hard work and sacrifice.

Michelle Wallace said...

I'm all for the part that says "having fun along the journey" and slightly apprehensive about the "taking risks" part... especially when it involves technology.....
But I'll get there... slowly but surely...
Great points Jemi!

Writer In Transit


Anonymous said...

Great list!

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

Great free verse poem! I think you could submit it to a magazine. Very nice!!!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

What's better is being your best!

Michael Di Gesu said...

Beautifully said, Jemi!

Doing your best is enough...

Jemi Fraser said...

Stephen - I like that one!!! :)

Michelle - I'm always apprehensive about something along this journey so don't feel alone! :)

Susanne - thank you!

Sharon - well - that would never have crossed my mind - thank you! :)

Diane - so true! :)

Michael - I use that with my students all the time 'your best is always good enough'! Can't believe I didn't think to add it here! :)

Unknown said...

* thinking first and talking later
* thinking first and doing later
I could most definitely work on those!

* making mistakes in private, not in public.
My worst nightmare!

And I would add: smell the coffee more often and take more deep breaths :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Wendy - my worst nightmare too! I'm working on those deep breaths too - they do help! :)

J.L. Campbell said...

Good list, Jemi, which reminds me that I'm not alone on the journey and the importance of being aware of others, as well

Carol Kilgore said...

Great list. Except I make mistakes in public, too. Especially on Twitter. Sigh. I especially liked the part about helping others.

DMS said...

Excellent list! Better is believing in yourself. :)

~Jess

nutschell said...

a wonderful creed to live by :)
Nutschell
www.thewritingnut.com

Jemi Fraser said...

Joy - so true! It could be a very isolating career without the online community!

Carol - thanks! As long as they're not BIG mistakes, I think we're okay! :)

Jess - that's a hard one for me!

Nutschell - thanks! :)

Nas said...

Excellent post and points made Jemi! And point taken.

Nas

Jemi Fraser said...

Nas - thanks! It's been a weird month and I needed a few eminders myself :)

Lisa Gail Green said...

Perfectly put!! :D All great tips.

Leslie S. Rose said...

It's all about the risk!

Jemi Fraser said...

Lisa - thank you! :)

Leslie - it really is! Every new step is a big one!!

Denise Covey said...

Better is banishing self doubt.

Beth said...

Better is pushing yourself to do what you never imagined you could.

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

And better is...meeting people like you, encouraging one another.
I love the thinking first point, as well. The world would be a better place if we all did that, all the time. :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Denise - it is ... but that's really hard and I'm not there yet!!!

Beth - so true! I love that whole part about creating! :)

Tricia - awww! you're so sweet! And you're so right - we need to use that brain before the mouth! :)

Missed Periods said...

I need to show this to my Critical Thinking class!

Jemi Fraser said...

MP - thank you! That's an awesome compliment :)

Eric W. Trant said...

Like.

- Eric

Jemi Fraser said...

Eric - thank you :)

Anonymous said...

excellent!
* better is allowing time on the shelf before revision
better!

Jemi Fraser said...

Michelle - yes! I absolutely need to do that too :)

Jack said...

Great list! Very good points!

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Jack! :)

Julie Musil said...

Oh, this is soooo true, and sometimes soooo hard! Thanks for the reminder, Jemi!

Jemi Fraser said...

Thanks Julie :)

Jennifer Shirk said...

LOVE this list! I don't think I can add anything!

Jemi Fraser said...

Jennifer - thanks so much! :)

Martina Boone said...

This is pretty much the perfect list to tape to the side of my desk. Thanks for a lot of great reminders!

Jemi Fraser said...

Martina - you're very welcome - glad you liked it! :)