What's Your Roar?

flickr / Steve Wilson

When I had finished writing the first draft to this blog post, I thought to myself that it seems like a waste,  this is my manifesto, and there’s no point in really sharing it with anyone. Then I thought, well who really cares I guess the only advantage is that it is out, it is on paper, it is out in public for all to see. Maybe I am overly presumptuous in assuming that there holds no value for anyone in it, but only for myself. I’m not a selfish person, or at least I would not consider myself to be (I guess with further reflection we could see how selfish we can be sometimes as individuals, but this is neither the time or the place, that would just ruin this conversation). I cannot on my own merit judge the value, if any, that may be presented before you through this effort. I guess all I can do is hope that in some way it’s value is revealed to you through encouragement, motivation, dialog, and even a call to arms.

 This is my story, this is my call to arms, this is my manifesto.

Too often in life, we have to deal with “others”, those who hold intentions that are not honorable, not only because they are self-serving, but also because they feel bad enough that they don’t want others to feel good. They want the warm fuzzies for themselves, they do not want to share, and they are more than willing to take yours away from you. They do so because in one form or another they don’t feel as if you are deserving enough, or at least as much as them, and they feel that it is their decision to make whether or not you are deserving. I heard it once said that “hurt people are the ones who hurt others”.

In case you didn’t know they have a name, we call them haters, they suffer from, among other things, self-delusions brought about by a self-serving ego, which causes their ego to trip out, on a regular basis.  Empathy is not a concept they understand unless it relates to them. Not only are the haters off center, but they are also just plain Jane out of whack! We have all been there, me and you, (you and I) we both know, we have at one time or another fell victim to one breed of hater or another.

Then for some of us, myself included there are the times when we do the pushing down, the holding back, the self-inflicting, self-defeating nonsense that we have all fallen victim to at one time or another. Then when we get tired of pushing ourselves down we put ourselves into positions where we will let others do it for us . . . Regardless of who the perpetrator may be, there comes a time as individuals that we must dust it off, to quit bellowing in the dirt and let out a mighty roar for all to hear. 

So for me and the purpose of this blog entry a mighty

roar equates to whatever your passion and talent may be. In the simplest of terms, a roar is when we as creative beings have held the creation in for so long that we can no longer contain it, no matter what the critics say. It is when we get to the points in our creative life’s where we have no choice to let it out, a mighty roar. This roar comes from a passion that has a little bit of attention gaining quality to it. After all, if a lion roars in the jungle, all creatures happen to take notice.

If it needs to be said I will say it now, my roar is writing. The written word on the computer screen in order to come to various ends. Such as to encourage, to educate, to inform, to edify, to entertain, and to contribute to the great conversation, whether it be through the art of fiction or a simply spun essay. They say that “the pen is mightier than the sword” (1)  and I believe it to be true, I’ve been moved by the written word, and I hope to move others. That is my manifesto to move others, that’s it, it is that plain, it is that simple. The presenting of value in a simple essay, to move you. It is me presenting value to you in a challenging medium in order to move you . . .  that is the value of what I offer to you, and that is the value contained in the written word.

As I do so I am able to sit back and watch the others who thought they knew, and watch the shocked expressions on their faces as they hear me roar!!!! I encourage you to roar along with me in whatever method you choose, and together we can, and will, change the world.

So what’s your “Roar”? What is your passion, what makes you tick, makes you want to get out of bed in the morning? What is it that you are able to hold up to the world and say look here? For some, it might be a song, for others like me its words on the page, for others maybe marketing, or still leadership, maybe you are a follower, a transcriber, a speaker, an Uber driver or a babysitter. You have a roar and I want to know what it is, please share it in the comments below, and tell us how you plan to change the world.