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The Courage to Share Your Voice · The Daily Writer

• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Daily Rider Podcast, where we bring you tips and inspiration each day to help you build habits for writing success.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: For more resources, including your free Daily Rider Starter Kit, visit DailyRiderLife.com.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: One of the saddest plays ever performed in American theater is Death of a Salesman.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: It was written by Arthur Miller and first performed on Broadway in 1949.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: Death of a Salesman tells the story of the last 24 hours in the life of Willie Lohman, a salesman who never quite achieves the success he always dreamed of.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: He has a faithful yet disappointed wife and two sons who are equally as lost as he is.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: And by the end of the play, you come to understand Willie's main downfall.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: He's unable to truly be himself.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: He spent his whole career trying to manufacture a winning personality and measuring his success by how much money he makes.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: Now it's tempting to criticize Willie Lohman for being misguided or superficial.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: But this character isn't just confined to the stage.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: The ghost of Willie Lohman is alive and well in each one of us.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: Every day you're tempted to play by other people's rules and conform to their definitions of success.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: That's why you need the courage to carve out your own identity as a writer.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: And isn't that one of the defining qualities of a writer anyway?
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: You have a voice that's unique and you have to have the courage to share it.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: The actress Lily Tomlin once said, I always wanted to be somebody.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: Now I realize I should have been more specific.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: Well, of course you want to be somebody.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: We all do.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: But you're not just somebody or anybody.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: There's only one person who can be uniquely you, and that's, of course, you.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: So don't settle for the death of a salesman.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: That's a sad, depressing story.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: Instead, embrace the life of a writer, sharing your own story so you can in turn give life to others.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: Here's today's challenge.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: Grab a copy of The Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: You can find copies of the stage play online or in used bookstores.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: If you've never read it, you might be surprised at how much of yourself you actually see in a Willie Lohman, and you'll be motivated to strive for something different in your own life.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening, and I'll see you next time.