A Poem by Daniel~Ibrahim

In the realm where my ego soared high,
A balloon of dreams in a vast, open sky,
But life, with its wisdom, gently came by,
And offered a slice of its humble pie.

The taste was bittersweet, unexpected, profound,
A grounding force that brought me to the ground.
In that moment, my vision was clear,
The stories within me began to appear.

I once sought applause, the brightest acclaim,
Chased after likes, the ephemeral fame,
Yet in humility, I found my own name,
A creative spark, a new kind of game.

The ego, deflated, made room for the muse,
In stories and words, I started to lose
The self-imposed pressure, the mind’s endless ruse,
The freedom to create, I could finally choose.

A piano unplayed, a lesson unheeded,
Once seemed like failure, a path unneeded.
Yet in this restraint, something new seeded:
The strength in humility, creativity succeeded.

Now I write, not for the crowd’s fawning praise,
But for the joy of the words, the endless maze
Of stories untold, of imaginative ways,
Where authenticity shines, and ego decays.

So here’s to the pie, humble and sweet,
That nourishes the soul, makes creation complete.
In its silent wisdom, I found my beat,
And stories that resonate, humble and fleet.

To those on the journey, in need of reply,
May you savor a slice of life’s humble pie,
For within it lies a truth you can’t buy:
That the heart’s gentle whisper is where stories lie.

Based on the story I’ve written for you, here are some action items that can be extracted:

Focus on Effort and Persistence: Embrace the messiness of trials and errors. Keep putting your work out there, testing ideas, and staying focused. Appreciate feedback and repeat the creative process until satisfied.

Improve Skills Over Time: Dedicate time and effort to craft your work into masterpieces worthy of recognition. Acknowledge that improvement comes gradually with consistent practice.

Seek Constructive Feedback: Value feedback from others and use it for improvement. Learn to differentiate between superficial feedback (likes and claps) and meaningful engagement (thoughtful comments or messages).

Monetize Content: Over time, explore ways to monetize your content adequately. Keep refining your approach until you achieve the desired financial success.

Adjust Expectations and Stay Humble: Manage ego and expectations by understanding the journey is part of the process. Learn from past failures and recognize the value of hard work and humility.

Avoid Instant Gratification: Focus on long-term success rather than seeking immediate accolades. Aim for deeper engagement with your audience rather than superficial likes.

Engage with Your Audience: Aim for genuine interactions in which viewers subscribe, return regularly, and engage meaningfully with your content. Prioritize building a community of loyal followers who value your work.

Self-Reflection and Personal Growth: Reflect on your personal and professional growth areas. Use past experiences, like the piano story, to guide your creative endeavours.

Be Authentic: Focus on being yourself and not comparing yourself to others. Cultivate your unique voice and creative style.

Reassess Priorities: Reevaluate your creative projects and focus on those with the most potential for success and personal fulfillment.

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 cords 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 30’s

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 non-spammy private message. 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……

Humbly yours,

Daniel~Ibrahim