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Transcript

Happy Little Accidents · 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: If you're a person of a certain age, shall we say, you probably remember watching Bob Ross on his TV show, The Joy of Painting, which he hosted on PBS from 1983 to 1994.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if you're a little bit younger, you've probably discovered Bob Ross on the internet, where he's developed actually a pretty huge following.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: Whenever Bob was doing his TV show, each week he would paint a mesmerizing landscape in just half an hour.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: And he was known for his soft-spoken style, his signature permed hair, and his uncanny ability to make you believe that just like him, you could paint a masterpiece.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: Now, what most of Bob's viewers didn't know was that he meticulously planned out his paintings in advance.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: He would create the original, memorize every brushstroke, then paint the scene a second time during the taping of the show.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: And every once in a while, Bob would make a tiny mistake and then he would repeat his signature phrase, we don't make mistakes, just happy little accidents.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: And then he would either paint over the mistake or find a way to blend it into the scene.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: And there's a great lesson here, not just for painters, but for writers as well.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: Many of us have a penchant for beating ourselves up for our mistakes, and we're disappointed when we mess up or we don't perform perfectly.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: But remember, you're just human.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: You're imperfect.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: You're not going to get it right every time.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: And let's be honest, there are times when you're just going to flat out bomb.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: That book, that blog post, that article, that lesson or speech isn't going to go as planned.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: And in those moments, the last thing that you want to do is celebrate your mistakes.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: But what if you did this instead?
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: Rather than painting over those flaws and imperfections, what if you accepted them as part of the picture?
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: And what if you not only accepted them, but you actually celebrated them?
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: Now I'm not talking about compromising your standards.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: You can still reach for excellence while also accepting your humanity.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: But those happy little accidents, if we can learn from them, can be the pathway to a life that's more beautiful and scenic than all the perfect paintings in the world.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: So here's today's challenge.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: Think about the last mistake that you made, and what if instead of trying to cover it over, you accepted it as part of your picture and used it as a learning experience.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: A big thanks to today's sponsor, Thumbprint Creative.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: You've probably heard the saying, don't judge a book by its cover.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: But in the book world, it's absolutely not true.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: People do judge the quality of a book by its cover, and in fact, the cover design is the first thing people notice about a book.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: That's why my graphic designer of choice is Christy Griffith, owner of Thumbprint Creative.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: I've worked with Christy for many years, and she's designed covers and interior layouts for my own books, my ghostwriting clients, as well as lots of books for friends that I've sent her away.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: Christy works closely with you to design a layout that perfectly captures the theme and genre of the book.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: Visit gothumbprint.com to learn more.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: That's go thumbprint.com to learn more.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: Or if you'd like a personal intro to Christy, just shoot me an email.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: Kent at dailywriterlife.com would be happy to intro you to Christy.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: As always, my friend, thanks for listening, and I'll see you next time.