Life Lesson Alert: Humble Pie & Storytelling Magic

Hey, Creatives!

I had one of those “aha” moments recently and just had to share it with you all. Picture this: Your ego is like a giant balloon, shiny and full of hot air, making you feel like you’re on top of the world. We all have days like that, right? But then, life hands you a slice of humble pie, and suddenly—*pssst*—that balloon deflates.

Yep, I had a big ol’ slice of that pie, and let me tell you, it was the best thing ever! It taught me that it’s okay not to be the best at everything. In fact, it opened my eyes to so many new perspectives and ideas. Embracing humility was like unlocking a secret treasure chest of creativity.

Because of this experience, I’ve been diving into storytelling, creating, and writing like never before. I’ve realized that letting go of that inflated ego gives more room for imagination and authenticity. And guess what? The stories that come from this space of humility resonate the most.

So, here’s to all the humble pie out there—may we all have a slice now and then to keep us grounded, creative, and inspired!

What about you? Have you ever had a taste of humble pie that changed your perspective? Share your stories with me!

So you’re a creative person whose work rarely gets noticed? You wallow in a pissy puddle of envy, thinking, why am I not more popular?

What am I doing wrong, you ask, and why don’t people give a shit?

Consider the possibility that you are where you should be in your journey, but perhaps you need to focus more on achieving the desired results.

Crafting a masterpiece worthy of accolades is an art form that takes energy and time to realize. So embrace the messiness of your trials and errors.

Put your ‘stuff’ out there, test your wild ideas, stay focused, appreciate the feedback, and repeat the process until you are satisfied. I’ve been writing blog posts for over a decade and, as of 2025, have yet to monetize my content adequately. — I’m not giving up!

Guess what? You’ll never be satisfied, so you’ll keep trying, and a funny thing will happen. Over time, you’ll gain competence and results as people notice your creations.

You’ll look back at your initial road kill, compare it to your latest perceived plate of vomit, and beam with joy at the improvement.– I did!

Getting better sneaks up on you like a bee in your beer can on a sunny patio day.

Teachers would cringe at my high school essays, and I almost got fired from my job for poorly written emails. However, two decades later, I wrote multi-million dollar proposals through my day job and won the bid with my team. Now, can I do the same as a freelancer? I think.

Today, I find writing stories and producing unique perspectives with media enjoyable to the point that I get a ‘woodie’ looking back at my best work. (Relax, it’s a figure of speech…eh!)

“If English is not your mother tongue and my slang throws you a curve ball (no pun intended), just know that a “Woody’ is a term a father uses to explain the sensation a male might receive when he thinks lustful thoughts.”

“So chill. I only get a real woodie when appropriate, my man — but I digress.”

A quick story…..

I remember years ago wanting to learn how to play the piano. At my first lesson, I thumped a six-inch songbook in the teacher’s palms and said; I want to play Billy Joel’s Piano Man by the new year. — His reply: Of what decade? Let’s start with ‘Twinkle-Twinkle Little Star and a few chords and pick a more realistic piece of music to learn.

A month later, halfway through my fourth lesson, when I failed to practice, he reached into his pocket, handed me my money back, and said, “I quit as your teacher… 

You just don’t get it. Learning and creativity are processes that must be respected. Your ego is more concerned with likes and attention than putting in the hard work. I prefer to teach humble little children who put in the effort and submit to my instructions.” — You’re fired!

I walked out of the room with my tail between my legs. Sadly, a few months earlier, I had bought a $5000 piano (on credit) and ended up selling it for a measly $900 to my Dental Hygienist. A lovely Filipino lady whose seven-year-old son had learnt his chords and was slated to perform in a piano recital on New Year’s Eve of that year. The little guy had it figured out.

That was one of the most significant pieces of humble berry pie ever force-fed to me.

I’ve come a long way since my 30s

Pulling a creative rabbit out of your backside to please others is hard work that requires time and effort. It’s even harder to convince someone to cough up the hard-earned dough for your rabbit creation.

Part of the problem is that we live in an age of instant gratification and easy accolades, with a sprinkling of little creativity.

I can post offensive, not-relevant pictures of my morning turd on social media, and I’ll get at least eight likes. (Try it and see what happens.)

Today’s likes and claps are as easy to get as the hairs on your grandmother’s chin (respect).

A more valuable success metric is when viewers subscribe, regularly return to your site, consume more of your work, and take the time to post respectful, insightful comments.

Better yet, they send you a private message that is not spam. Finally and ultimately, they might pay you for your offerings. — Then, my friend, life in the blogosphere does not get any better than being paid.

Let’s recap: Stop comparing yourself to others, forget chasing likes and claps, and be yourself!

Class dismissed……

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