the fresh perspective...

AM I REALLY A WRITER?

I was reading an article a few nights ago about how to become a better writer and tips for getting your thoughts out there via text. It suddenly hit me! AM I actually a writer? DO I actually qualify as a writer? I mean technically, I guess yes, but I never saw myself as such.

The fact is, I am. I put my thoughts and ideas down on this forum and so many people now have an ability to read what I have posted. And not just people I know, but people I don't know and people all over the world!

I'll tell you a wee secret, I have ALWAYS wanted to be a writer. I wrote one book as a young woman of 12 and attempted to start another but never quite finished... As I grew, I realized how much I loved to read and write and often wished that I could be published. Let's face it, I don't get paid to write here for all of you, but I do get to PUBLISH and that.  Is. Awesome.

I never thought that I could have my content exposed to the world and here I am. The fantastic world of the inter web has allowed all of us to become just a little bit more than what we could have dreamed. All of you that read other blogs and maintain your own should be so very proud.  Writing is a great way to express yourself, and now all of us can.

Kudos to all you writers and lovers of literature and all things text, I am honored to be part of this group!

That's it. That's the fresh perspective...

Who's the real expert?

With the onset of  smart phones, EVERYONE is there-by smarter.  No one can deny the fact that when we want to know something we Google it.  When we are unsure, we check our phones.  When we have questions, we ask the internet.  It is amazing, wonderful and down right annoying.

This information age is great but it also has its draw backs.  Being in the health and beauty industry, clients always ask me questions about their hair, skin, nails...you know the usual health and beauty stuff.  It seems to me that lately I'm not being asked anymore.  Folks go online and 'research' what they can do for their dry scalp, or what they can ingest to make their hair shinier.  They don't need to ask me, the expert, because they are now the experts.  You know your body and your general health issues, I don't.   But just because you have the internet at your finger tips does not mean that you know how to make, and know what should really be, in a shampoo.  I realize that there are a lot of people out there with issues and have had to turn to the internet for answers because there wasn't a solution for them in the medical field.  I've heard it all, "I have the worst dry skin and nothing my Doctor prescribed has worked.  I went on-line and found out the properties of **carrot oil** can stop dry skin.  Now I only use carrot oil on my skin and I've noticed that my skin feels so much better.  I also researched that certain foods I eat can make my skin more conditioned.  Thank God I had the internet to save me from the Doctor's errant prescriptions!..."

Okay, maybe that was a little harsh but I think that we are getting a little carried away here.  When you have a headache you may pop a few Tylenol or Advil but you wouldn't try to go online to get a treatment for your chest pains that are keeping you from breathing.  Would you?  No!  You would see a Doctor.  If your vision became blurry you might toss in some eye drops but if you consistently couldn't see you would see an optometrist right? Right.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, it's good to do some research and try to solve your health and wellness issues on your own, but let's not forget the people who spent a lot of time and money in order to know plenty in their field.  There is a reason that we give out degrees and diplomas, it's to differentiate us from each other and lets people know where you stand compared to others in your area.  When it comes to the internet, there is no measuring stick to place on each of us to say who knows more about one thing over another.  Basically, it all depends on how fast you can open up your search engine window and how fast you can type.

Peace

**I don't know if carrot oil does any of this, I just used it as a lame example.  Please do not start ingesting copious amounts of carrot oil in hopes that your hair and/or skin will be nicer...**