Matthew Kelly is a renowned New York Times bestselling author and speaker I follow in the religious space. I’ve probably read a dozen of his books, which he’s written numerous titles, so I have barely scratched the surface.
My messy cat in my messy dining room with the “Life is Messy” book by Matthew Kelly
|
Over the weekend, I received an advance copy of his newest book, “Life is Messy.” My first thought was, “I don’t need this book.” But in his accompanying letter, Matthew asks us to read the first 40 pages, at least, before deciding.
And yep, it’s for me. And it’s for you, too, because if you are breathing right now, your life is a little messy. (You can pre-order via Amazon here, or directly with Matthew here.)
I actually didn’t mean for this to be a book review or anything. I’m only talking about it because Matthew says something, on page 11, that hit my very inner-most thoughts and soul – and I’ve never shared it before, but I will now, via his words.
“Writing makes me feel inadequate. It’s one of those things that you never quite get right. I know I can never get down on paper what I see with the eyes of my soul. And still, I try. It is a most glorious frustration. Most days I feel like a dedicated but clumsy translator, trying desperately to translate what I experience, feel, hope, and observe. There are times when I feel like I am so close, only to wake up the next morning, read yesterday’s pages, and discover I am still so far away.” – from the book “Life is Messy” by Matthew Kelly.
Oh, my goodness – so much to unpack there. But the part where he says he wakes up the next morning to read his pages hit home for me. That’s what I do when I look at Archery Wire on Wednesday morning and re-read the entire thing. Sometimes I feel “clumsy,” like what Matthew said – that the story I was attempting to convey fell very short. Or I’m frustrated with how I tried to translate my experiences to you, my dear readers.
I’ve always said to those who ask about Archery Wire that I don’t do gear reviews or the like – there are other publications and writers who do that and do it better than I ever could. Plus, I want everyone to like me, so I could never write a bad review. #TrueStory. I like talking about the people in the Archery business, which lead me to start the series, “5 Minutes with…” That was a spin off a popular column you’ll see in many major B2B publications. But those never felt “right” either.
It wasn’t until I started talking about what I live day-to-day – social media – that I found people responding to me. My wish is that whatever I share in these editorials you are able to translate to your personal social pages, or better yet, your business social pages. And while I may not share in here what is the best bow of 2021, I will share how you can best market that bow utilizing social media.
Life is messy. The Archery Wire can be messy, too. My ego isn’t so big to think this is landing in your inbox as a “must-read,” but I sincerely hope that when you do read it, the corners of your mouth lift up ever so slightly because you found the words here stimulating, challenging and encouraging.
-- Michelle Scheuermann, editor, Archery Wire
