Librarian Turns to Library Resources to Break Out of a Funk

by Stephanie Reister   Rowan Public Library

I’ve been in a funk. It’s not a good Kool and the Gang or Bruno Mars kind, so it has to go. I’ve turned to the library for help to get in a better groove.

 I read Brené Brown’s book Braving the Wilderness to learn about her idea of true belonging to yourself and the world. She says, “Stop walking through the world looking for confirmation that you don’t belong.” That really got me thinking. Since moving miles away from the people and place I was most comfortable with, I’m still tentative in making connections.

I find myself worrying about how I fit in here. I’m an extrovert who has been holding back. Concerned that my sense of humor and experiences may not click with the people I meet. Brown has a response to that:

“True belonging is not passive. It's not the belonging that comes with just joining a group. It's not fitting in or pretending or selling out because it's safer. It's a practice that requires us to be vulnerable, get uncomfortable, and learn how to be present with people without sacrificing who we are.”

Brown’s words remind me that you can’t make friends without some effort. You have to take a chance and reach out as your genuine self. After the initial awkwardness, strangers can usually find common ground to carry on a conversation.

 I want to also share more of my creativity, which includes writing. I’ve been using a mantra to get unstuck. “The best (perfect) is the enemy of the good.” Voltaire popularized this Italian proverb. It cautions us that the idea of perfection can stop us from doing a task at all.

Elizabeth Gilbert addresses using persistence to overcome the idea of perfection in her book Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear. I like her conversational tone and honest advice on the creative process, specifically for writing.

At the beginning of the book Gilbert gives a long list of possible fears that prevent people from using their creativity. Seeing those excuses in print gave me a clear perspective on how we easily trick ourselves into procrastination.

Perfectionism is an ethereal obsession that holds many of us back from taking action. She uses a colorful analogy to discredit the idea, “I think perfectionism is just fear in fancy shoes and a mink coat, pretending to be elegant when actually it’s just terrified.”

Another key point Gilbert shares is that the creative process is mostly tedious, unglamorous, and requires courage to be disciplined. She asks, “What are you passionate enough about that you can endure even the most disagreeable aspects of the work?” If you have a creative passion, you have to make the time to carry it out.

To push forward with my own writing, I’m taking a class through Gale Courses online. It’s free and easy to access through Rowan Public Library’s website with my library card number and PIN.

I really enjoy the class and am impressed by the instructor’s background. The homework and online discussion with fellow writers persuade me to write regularly.

Even though I’m out of my comfort zone, I will open up more to meeting people, sharing who I am, and using my creativity. I’m bound to find the light at the end of my funk. Right now, I need to get past perfectionism and a little insecurity to turn in this column.