We live in the middle of a row of 1930’s terraces in Bristol, UK.
The houses are old railway, docker’s and miner’s houses from the mid-century industrialism of Bristol. They were lucky enough to escape being flattened in the Blitz.
There’s a patch of waste ground from the alley along the back of the terrace, up a slope, to the railway line.
When we moved in, our neighbours told us it was unclear who owns the little wild strip along the back of our gardens. Maybe the Council, maybe National Railways, no one has ever had a straight answer. It means this little strip of unowned urban greenery is as overgrown and wild a patch as any in an urban area.
I love it, because the back of the house overlooks nothing but greenery. I enjoy the sound of the trains rumbling past every now and again. They remind me I’m right in the heart of the city, less than a mile from the Harbourside.
It’s also teeming with wildlife.
In particular, it’s a haven for birds.
A Haven For Birds
As I write this, I see from the window, a small crowd of hungry sparrows fighting over the last of the fatballs we hang out for them!
Robins, Magpies, Wood pigeons, Sparrows, Tits, Finches, Blackbirds, Doves… they all nest, undisturbed, in this wild little patch.
Of course, being by the coast, different varieties of gulls are regular visitors to the garden, as are Peregrine Falcons (introduced by the City Council to control the feral pigeon population).
Being Heard Above The Noise
I read once, that urban-dwelling birds have evolved to sing louder to be heard over the noise of a city.
Some days, the noise of so many birds drowns out the sound of the trains. (We don’t get much road traffic noise, being a cul-de-sac)!
They’re all competing to be heard by a potential mate.
Singing, Whether Anyone’s Listening or Not
For the birds, singing is an instinct. It doesn’t matter whether or not they are aware that someone is listening to their song, they’ll do it anyway.
The sky is plenty big enough for all of them, just as the potential for your business is plenty big enough.
The same is true of your blog, or your book. ‘Sing’ (Write), because you want to do it.
Do It Because You Want To Do it
Like the birds who will continue singing regardless of their audience, write because YOU want to.
Write because YOU enjoy it.
Do it for the sheer pleasure of expressing yourself. Regardless of how sure you can be that someone will read it.
Like the birds, sing in the right notes and you’ll attract the right companion.
We all have a story to tell.
Everyone’s story is different. Why fight over the same bit of sky?
It’s your story that makes you the person you are and when you drive your business, you are what makes it unique.
Your voice has as much right to be heard as anyone else’s.
When you do something because you want to, it’s no longer a chore, or a drain on your resources (be them time, energy or financial resources). You will always find time to do it when your motivation is pleasure!
Trust In Your Words
Trust that someone will read it.
Maybe not today, maybe not next week – but everything you write and publish online will be read by someone, at some point.
Trust that YOU have made an impact. Even in a small way, with your words.
All it takes is one person to read your words, and for it to resonate with them.
You may never even know it, but your words have the power to change someone’s perspective. To answer a question they had, or move them to smile or feel emotionally affected by what you have to say.
Because everything you write, matters.