Is That a Pearl or Just Sand in Your Crack?
We all know that pearls are found in oysters. We also know that pearls are very valuable. However, do you know how a pearl is really created? An irritant (such as sand) gets inside the shell, and the oyster releases a chemical to coat the foreign particle. After many, many coatings, the piece of irritating material has become a pearl! Now, have you ever sat in the sand on a beach and gotten sand inside your clothing? It is quite uncomfortable! Imagine how the oyster feels not being able to get the sand out of its shell.
Those two ideas can also be related to your career. Have you ever had a great idea or a desire to do something important with your life? Is it a business idea? A dream to work at another company? A desire to retire early and sit on the beach (in a sand-proof suit, of course)? That's your piece of sand. Now, instead of just letting it irritate you until you can't stand it any longer, treat that irritant like an oyster would. Use it. Grow it. Make it a focus of your life.
I know that when I get an idea to write about, I have to get it out. My brain starts churning at full speed, and other ideas start branching off of the main one until I have a whole story rolling around between my ears. If I am unable to get to a computer or a pen, I pull out my trusty cell phone and start making cryptic notes like "tell benefits" and "try yoga" (those two reminders are actually on my phone at this very moment). I just have to hope that I can still remember what the heck I was talking about when I finally get around to transcribing those notes into longhand. I take my little grains of sand (ideas) and nurture them into pearls (stories, articles, etc.).
Now take your piece of sand and make it into a pearl!
This is a guest post by Ben Eubanks.
Andrew G. Rosen
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