Life's Lessons Learned

(Today's word will be in ALL CAPS, BOLD, ITALIC, and STRIKETHROUGH.)

You're never too old to learn new things. Whether it's something important, or just useless trivia, you're still learning.

My learning leans more towards useless trivia; I'm like a sponge when it comes to things like that. Yet, I tend not to remember some important things, unless I really commit them to memory.

Then there are the times where the lightbulb comes on, and not only do I remember something important, I learn and grow from it. That's what's been happening since I entered the MusiCares® Blogger contest last month.

I've never liked when someone has a big EGO, the kind that's so big it just overflows out to everyone who comes near the person. The type where the person thinks they're the greatest thing in the world, and no one's better than them. I can't stand that, and have always made sure *I* didn't act like that.

I've always had what I call the "quiet ego". It may come out a little, but for the most part, I'm excited inside, and keep it to myself.

What I've learned in the past month however is, there's a fine line between "ego" and "self-promotion". You have to let at least a bit of your ego out to be able to be self-promoting.

I became aware of this when I was chosen as one of the six finalists in the MusiCares® Blogger contest. Between now and then, finalists must get as many votes for their entry as they can. The finalist with the most votes by November 30, 2011 will be the winner of the contest.

With the prize being attending, and blogging about, the Grammy Person of the Year, Paul McCartney, event you can bet I want to win as much as anyone!

That's when I realized, *I* needed to get the word out to people, and ask them to get the word out as well. It had to start with me though; if I didn't tell people, most people I know wouldn't be aware of the contest, or that I'm a finalist.

Since realizing that, I've also discovered how to keep my ego in check, and still promote myself for others to vote for me.

Even if I don't win the grand prize in MusiCares® blogger contest, I feel I've already won, by learning this important lesson. It allows me to know it's okay to speak up and be proud of what I do, and still be able to keep my ego in control.