Sorry, I’m Not Feeling Epic Today

OK - in my world, what is, is and what ain't ain't. In a world of non-separation, all is welcomed - epic, not epic.... You are who you are, warts and all and acceptance of all of it is true freedom. I'm not always successful at accepting myself and floating in that delicious bath of freedom, but I have learned that when I just "am" without judgment, it is the space where creativity, and love, and joy lives.

Your humanness resonates deeply with me, and I hope you keep on keeping on--just like you are.

hey even just a few lines are great to hear from you good job for posting

EPW, you have already gotten so many comments on this one, so YOU WON! You got what you wanted! Lots and lots of comments! And I am adding one more :)

Here you have one of your epic little blog posts and you didn't even try. This is a lesson that I am grappling with myself right now... is it perfectionism? Is it a need to be the best? I am not sure, but what I do know is that Yoda did say it best and someone already use the quote in these comments. Just keeping doing what it is that you do and don't think about it too much! You have people who like what you write and read it whether they like it or not. So just keep writing and we will keep reading!

So that is that about being epic. But what I also sense is that you are questioning this need to be epic as you not living your truth. Do you feel that this desire to be epic is somehow not your truth? Or that by not writing what is authentically going on and then not posting it because it isn't epic enough means that you are somehow sidestepping the truth? It's an interesting question because I often find myself editing posts or trying to be insightful about what I do post only to limit and potentially dilute my message. This post of yours is beautiful because it really is the TRUTH! It is totally honest and because of that it is absolutely epic and essential to your message. Be who you are. Talk about it. Don't be ashamed... live your truth!

#thatisall (love that ;)

I think blogging is like an amusement park. Not every ride has to be the killer coaster. Some need to be. But at every amusement park there are kiddie coasters and trains and other (non epic) rides. And some people like those the best. And it all flow together to be marvelous as a whole. Epic and non-epic combined.

Your moments of okayness ARE epic to others. #dealwithit

Of course, the reverse (converse?) is also true. Your moments of epicness are just okay to some people.

Be you. Or should I say:

Be. You.

that's all anybody can ask or expect. and if okay is what you've got to give, maybe it's time to let someone else give to you for a minute.

just sayin'.

I love reading your posts Elizabeth.
An epic is also built with ordinary days. And since you are larger-than-life, everything that you write is epic :)

I love how you actually used the word "epic" in it's actual definition, as opposed to the slang it has become.

Definition of "epic" --> "An extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language, celebrating the feats of a legendary or traditional hero."

Now that's actually even more intimidating than the slang it has become. But really, it says so much ... even the epic hero has ordinary days. But the interesting thing is that in those epic stories, the hero's ordinary days have a completely different context as part of the hero's journey.

Stop settling for mediocrity........make each day an epic day with a new story to tell.

They don't all have to be epic. They just all have to be you.

Aside from loving Ori's Step # 5 . . .

I've been in the same spot as well (though haven't yet reached EPIC with oodles of comments) and just being real always works - even if it's just for myself. That's when I get to connect to what my own truth really is and, it seems, that's what connects most with others. Anyway, trying to BE epic always makes me end up thinking "whose idiot voice is THAT?" and it always ends up being "the committee" of critics in my head and they don't know diddly!

My critic is my "ideal woman" who also is really upset that I don't iron sheets. We really don't want her writing any blog posts.

Yet ANOTHER comment from me! Sheesh, you'd think I had nothing else to do!
I said this might end up as a blog post, so... it did (once 3 of you said you'd laminate this) - http://www.couchsurfingori.com/2010/01/06/how-to-be-epic/ Feel free to leave a comment there too.

I've dealt with similar issues on my blog. Some days you write a post not thinking too much about it and BANG, it's the next best thing! Then other days, you think you have written something epic and no comments at all. The great thing about posts like this is that it makes you more real and believable, which makes you even more likable. Thanks for keeping it real!

What is epic? What is the big a-ha? And what is the little a-ha? And what is the hidden a-ha?
I appreciate your honesty and that you wrote about having not epic blog posts. I have my days when I don't feel like I'm writing epic-ally either.
But- then again, you never know when a simple, little un-epic post can be quite epic for the person who needs it.
On the days when you don't feel like you're epic, that's okay. That doesn't mean it's over or you're lame. It means that things are sprouting underground and you just need to keep the ground warm.

If anyone wanted to see that Muppets Bohemian Rhapsody that I was so moved by -- I'm from Israel, when I left we didn't have as many channels as they do these days, so the Muppets was one of the shows we'd watch as a family... with Hebrew subtitles, of course. Plus they're funny as all heck! -- you can find it at: http://www.couchsurfingori.com/2009/11/24/bohemian-rhapsody-by-the-muppets/

I do think you are at your best when you write your edgier posts but I think any post that adds value is enough for the cost of your readers' time to read the post. That having been said the more epic posts the better ;)

It's good to write about fear (see my "Shitty First Drafts"). And to embrace it and be honest about it. Not every post will be epic. But if your writing is raw and real and YOU and shared, that's the bigger victory! And I'm with Laura (we Lauras are a smart bunch ;))----there's nothing more "living your truth" than writing something truthful. And I happen to love this particular post. :)

30 comments on a non-epic post... that's pretty damn great :)

In the words of master yoda...there is only do or not do, there is no try. Either write or don't. Be epic or lame. Or screw the or and insert "and" epic and lame. Just keeping showing up sister because opting out is listening to the fear-monger part of your brain (it yells crap like "you suck!") whereas your intuition whispers in your ear ("keep writing elizabeth, it is all good").

That yoda quote is listed as one of my fav quotes on my FB profile. ::

Good point re the fear/ego part of my brain yelling "you suck" -- this is partially about that. And sometimes when that happens, it's because what I am doing is risky yet most awesome.

DUDE -- epic is an absolute, It either is or isn't. It is not halfway or sorta. Not every word that comes from your mouth or text from your phone or tweet or blog entry needs to come complete with a marching band. It is in our regular messy boring whatever stuff that our real genius and EPICNESS resides.
Always.
Cuz it is an absolute.
And I so know you so know that.
#thatisall
Love you Alli

yeah... if every single thing you said was EPIC (had a marching band), it would be annoying to talk to you :) IT'S LIKE THOSE PEOPLE THAT TYPE IN ALL CAPS!!! IT GETS OLD REAL QUICK!

And didn't we talk about this while walking around in NYC, how I'm scared to share stuff until it's all a finished idea & I have it figured out? And you were like, there you go, there's your next blog post.

If you were epic everyday I probably wouldn't read your blog. People who are "epic everyday" aren't the kind of people I can relate to and learn from every day. It's like their lives are fairytale and unreal. Publish your good self (not lame!) and save your epic (extra special) for when you have something epic to say.

Epic isn't your choice.

Such a huge part of being transparent is sharing the whole story, including all the times where I feel lame or have no idea what I am doing. So thank you for saying that it's helpful. Because it is so scary to share the unfinished unpolished version of me.

Scary yes, but the unfinished, unpolished version of you is what people want (or maybe I should just speak for myself). It is interesting and amazing because it is real.

I'm not all that finished or polished. ..so I don't resonate with people who always have their sh#$ together and want me to join them on their mountain of guruness (and btw, I have never gotten that impression from you). Writing is about opening your soul and letting others peek inside. Anything else rings false.

Blog whenever you want. If a schedule works, do that. If it doesn't then don't. Blog about whatever you want.

And this post about not being epic was awesome and amazing.. .and quite epic. Epic is in the eye of the beholder. :)

If you're publishing posts about your life, and living your truth, it would seem that not every post is going to be epic... unless of course every single moment of your life is epic. Perhaps that is the case.

--- The above is what I came up with at first. Then I had another thought, which follows ---

Don't try to be epic. Try to be you. My suspicion is that epicness will appear on its own in appropriate quantities.

Being epic every single moment is impossible, eh? That's why for TV reality shows they film for a sold week to get 20 minutes of content ... no one is interesting all the time. Not that reality shows are epic. But you get my point.

"Don't try to be epic. Try to be you" <-- awesome.

What he said (ahockley). Honesty is epic. Always.

Which might be where reality shows get hung up (the honesty thing).

Being real and just being yourself can inspire others and can be viewed as epic by some - like me. They can't all be home runs, sometimes a single is enough to score that winning run - pardon the baseball reference but I'm staring out at all the snow and wishing it away. Keep being you - that's why we are here in the first place!

Elizabeth!!! LISTEN to YOUR OWN Advice!! LIVE YOUR OWN TRUTH!! None of us that enjoy your work are total idiots!! We don't expect you to be absolutely perfect 100% of the time. The important thing is to be the very best you can at any point in time!! Just tell us that you're waiting for some inspiration, we'll understand. Live your own truth, it shall set you free!! It's far more exciting watching somebody reach higher thru adversity, then it is to watch only 'perfect' people do something once in awhile!! I see you every day, we even say 'hi' from time to time. I know your not perfect, but you ARE fun to be around, and that IS very important. FUN everyday IS EPIC!!

From where I sit - the power behind your Live Your Truth message is your "epic" commitment to telling the truth - your truth - in any given moment. In this post, I am hearing that you are having a human momnet that is not rifled with inspiration...sounds like "epic" permission for others to have human moments as well. Also, from what I am learning about trusting the process - I usually look back at those appearingly "lame" moments and in retrospect can see it was these moments of rest, unsettled calm, lack of inspiration, intermissions between the big acts, that allowed me to take an even deeper look within to hear/see the next "true" step on my path. In a nutshell - your "epic" transparency of telling your truth no matter what it looks like is what keeps me tuned in.

I agree Amy, those times when I am in intermission are the ones where the most amazing stuff comes out at the end. They are so annoying, though. ;)

And thank you for being tuned into my transparency. I'm thinking that being transparent about my journey is the most important thing that I'm doing here.

It is your blog, so you can feel anyway you want to today! I just started blogging and I have had many of your same feelings! I feel that we are only judged by our last post and don't want someone to see me on a bad day! www.myskinconcierge.blogspot.com Ava

Hello, well this post is pretty epic for me. Because part of being human is that we can't always pull our A-game when we aim to do it. We just need to let ideas flow. I learned this participating in NaBloPoMo. Because I had to write everyday I ended up pushing some mediocre posts out, instead of good ones. But good ideas will come. IMHO you just need to stop thinking on writing an epic post and let it flow. At least try to remember how you felt while writing those epic posts and try and do the same thing.

Now the degree of Epicness is also a mere illusion. A post can't get as much comments, but be useful and complement another idea. The only thing you need to do is put out content you believe will impact at least one person in positive way. For that person the post will be EPIC and that counts!

I think that has been the hard part for me, there is a certain way I feel when writing a post that ends up being amazing ... it's like I'm chasing this drug high that I can't make happen, it only happens when it happens. So if I don't feel the high, I don't want to finish/publish the post.

Simple response is that you should write what and when you feel you need to write, but don't beat yourself up once you do it. Whether you believe what you write is epic or sucks is totally subjective. I for one enjoy your writing and think that this is a very honest glimpse into your thought process. Thanks for writing this.

Ah, bollocks, I don't know. I have read you more on Twitter than on your blog. So I'm not sure how 'qualified' I am to comment.

I want to say 'Ease up on yourself'.

I want to say 'In an effort to be epic on demand, you might stop yourself BEING epic, because what the Blog-Police-in-your-mind think is epic might not be for us.'

I want to say, 'Living your truth surely means living all parts of it, even the lame ones.'

I want to say, 'Get over yourself.'

What I will say is:

I don't read you because you're epic.

I read you because you're you.

You write in a voice I can identify with.

If you start being epic all the time, I stop identifying with you, because I'm not epic all the time.

I'm often lame.

So weirdly, more lame might encourage me to live my truth more.

Also, there might be (might be) some middle ground between epic-100-comments-you're-the-new-Chris-Brogan and iphone gossip.

#justsayin

"Get over yourself" = +1 points for Andrew

And thank you, wtf is up w/ this whole epic thing, the point of "living my truth" is about me being myself and people who resonate w/ me will resonate w/ me because of that, not because I'm being epic (whatever that means).

If you write ahead instead of to catch up, you can publish regularly and epically. Epic, though, is highly subjective. There's a lot to be said for those small observations that seem casual to you but just might make the light come on for your readers. If you want to learn from Brogan, notice how he's a master of that.

You can always take one little thing and spin it out, too.

Team up with others who are living their truths: interview them on video after a few drinks. ;-)

Good point that what I think is small observations, someone else may find epic. Really, the best thing that happens is when I get that one comment or email from someone about a post, saying how it was revolutionary for them ... and even if that was the *only* comment I got on that post, it was worth it.

you'll listen, damnit! :)
How to be epic: 1)Try new things every day-- even if it's a new song you've never heard, a new beverage you've never had (my kidneys just loved me when I tried "Different energy drink at every gas station" -- that was across many 3 day drives.), talk to someone you've never talked to (Tweeting does NOT count for this, sorry). That alone will give you plenty to talk about.
2)If you like something... a lot... .someone else out there will too. I was deeply moved by The Muppet's remake of Bohemian Rhapsody, so I embedded it, and made a blog post about it. That helped a lot more people find it than if I were to FB it. Maybe muppets don't do it for you, but the occasional humor or tearjerker, or something that resonates with how you feel.
3)(Preferred Ori recommended method)- Have an adventure! Go out of town! Treat where you live as if you were out of town. Oh wait.. didn't I already give you some homework about that this week? Didn't you say it rocked? Where's the damn blog post? I thought that would be *EPIC* - Shall I mention the text you sent as you were leaving out the door?
4)Your kid is frigging awesome! Write about her, and her perspective of the world... because I know that 'Gracie, what's your favorite part about ice skating? "that I get to fall down!" ' is fuel for A LOT of blog posts. I mean... that is a millionaire mentality we could all use more of.
5) (not my recommended method, but it can work) Get shitfaced, flip through the channels, and then write. You'll tend to be overly emotional, and something will either piss you off, or will make your day. Downside- spelling errors, and you may get blacklisted, etc...
6)Get inspired. Ever notice that something may be nice somedays, but other days it's "Oh my god! I've never had coffee this good!" --- endorphins, saritonin.... being inspired. If you're in a great mood, or thinking of a goal, then all of a sudden, everything is cool again (i.e. when you were in a crappy mood the other day, and I said "Call a funny friend" and then I started talking about zip-lining across a chasm (See! I know you just smiled right then!) -- so... think of the next big thing you're doing, and voila!
Ok... that rocks... no more non-epic posts, now that you know how it's done :)
Oh yeah... thought of this recently-
7)Blog about your past. I remembered just the other day that my dad put me in a programming class at age 6.... it didn't fully take, but I picked up some major skills. In 6th grade, I was using a HexEditor to take out copy protection from Sierra Games (cool video games-- King's Quest, etc). So... because my dad wanted to get me into computers early on, because he's passionate about computers, etc... I am able to do all these amazing thigns I do today... which helps me stay mobile (which is ironic, 'cause my folks are just waiting for me to tell them I'm finally setteling down, yada yada yada). On my show (http://bit.ly/5EwIaH) I talked to Ingrid, and told how she was diagnosed as learning impaired, when really she only had a hearing impairment... but because of that, she had her very own bus/bus driver, special classes, and it really affected some of the ways she grew up... you get it... there's a million interesting things in your past, and your readers enjoy knowing who you are, and what you really think... that's why you got so many comments on Signposts and Bat shit. What did you want to do when you were Gracie's age? My comment may get copied to my blog now, as an epic blog post :)

SWIPED and Laminated. Thank you.

Nice :) I should add a Wisdom store to my site (http://CouchSurfingOri.com) -- and sell pre-laminated, and even business card size (for when you're on the road) pieces of wisdom :)

I'm thrilled that EPW has such involved readers that they read the comments as well, and get the benefits of them. I don't take the time to write naratives on every blog I read.

Nice blog-post-within-a-blog-post! Muy, muy useful. Ditto on the cut and paste. I might even laminate.

Wow Ori, I don't even know how to reply to this comment it is so awesome. I actually just cut-pasted it into a text doc on my desktop to use whenever I am feeling non-epic-y.

I agree, wtf, I do know this. And yes, I have a bunch of epic posts that are in my head ready to be written (including about that night, and thanks for reminding me about that text, lol) that I have not started on yet, for various lame yet logical-sounding reasons.

And holy crap, after Austin this weekend I will have enough blog post content to keep me busy for a good while.

Okay, maybe I should stop writing this comment reply and start working on epic stuff. #thatisall

I think you're wonderful and your dedication to be much, much awesomer than almost every other blog author is a little intimidating. And inspiring!

Now I'm intimidated. :)

Uh, hello. What's more "living your truth" than writing something truthful, like this? The relatability and honesty are more powerful than anything that sets out to be epic.
Love this post, maybe my favorite.

I totally agree Laura, and thanks for tweeting w/ me about this last night. And that's the thing, whenever I am freaking out about something, *that* is the thing I must blog about.

For real. Especially since a freakout makes for the most compelling read.

And the most funny thing is that I'm not sure if I'm going to listen to any of you. Unless you tell me what I want to hear. Not that I know what that is. #reasonsiaminsane