A few questions

Here's some background to this post: My middle name is Marie. This is an interview between Marie and Elaine, so basically I am asking myself questions. I tried to imagine the questions a reporter would ask and then answer them honestly. I hope you like it.

Marie, “Hi Elaine, thanks for taking this time to talk with me.”

Elaine, “sure, I’m glad I get this opportunity to answer whatever questions you may have for me, it’s very different from writing a normal post.”

Marie, “You certainly write a lot of posts, what got you into writing so much and when did you know that you wanted to start a blog?”

Elaine, “I really wanted a platform to share some of my thoughts, it was about eight months ago when I was tossing around a lot of ideas and needed to write them down and then decided that I would publish them. I’ve always hoped that I could give someone a new perspective on an issue or give people hope through writing.”

Marie, “Well you certainly have a platform now. You talk a lot about hope in many of your posts, when did that really become an important idea for you?”

Elaine, “It was probably most important to me right before I wrote my post on my gymnastics story, basically I was going through a lot of changes in my life and I wanted to more deeply understand what hope really meant to me and then share that with others and maybe make a difference in their lives or impact them in some way.”

Marie, “And that remains an important concept for you today?”

Elaine, “Definitely. I can’t claim to understand it fully, but I still cling to hope like a lifeline.”

Marie, “That’s great. You just mentioned making a difference, that has been the theme of many of your posts recently, right?”

Elaine, “Yes, two or three of them specifically focused on the impact that we can have.”

Marie, “But doing that is hard isn’t it? It’s difficult to use our choices to make a difference. I think a lot of people don’t do that because they’re afraid of rejection, what do you say to them?”

Elaine, “Well, I think everyone fears rejection and everyone has faced it in some form at some point. Whether it's not receiving the invitation to a party all of your friends are attending or not getting acknowledgment for something you worked hard on, fear of rejection is a real struggle for all of us. I know it’s been a struggle for me. We ultimately just have to decide that we don’t care, that the good we might do is better than the rejection we may face. We shouldn’t care about the judgments of others because we have already been judged, and the verdict is good news.”

Marie, “We have to decide to not care? That’s scary.”

Elaine, “Life is rarely easy or simple. We have to face our fears in order to succeed. Our greatest fear shouldn’t be rejection, but if it is we have to conquer it. In everything, we must have courage.”

Marie, “Is that why you named your blog, “The Courage 2 Continue”?”

Elaine, “That was part of it. I have always loved the Winston Churchill quote and some things were happening in my life that proved the importance of courage, so I decided that would be the theme of my writings. Since then I’ve tried to incorporate courage in some way into my posts.”

Marie, “Interesting. What exactly is courage?”

Elaine, “That's a tough question. Courage is a very complicated idea. Winston Churchill says that it is what it takes to stand up and speak and what it takes to sit down and listen. Courage is facing our fears, doing the right thing when it isn’t easy. We can see examples of courage all around us, and really I think those examples are what give us the clearest view of courage.”

Marie, "That's a good explanation. Now, one of your first posts was on a song that you basically explained in more detail, Cry Pretty by Carrie Underwood, and in it you talk about the need to open up and accept help for others, what has that looked like for you?”

Elaine, “Well, I have to admit I’m rather hypocritical regarding seeking help. But when I do open up and trust people it’s always worth it. Often we hide our pain, but when it gets to be too much, it all comes pouring out like a flood. And when it does it’s helpful to have someone you trust that you can lean on. While I don't Even though I'm not a great role model in this issue, I still encourage others to find someone they can trust and open up with because it does help in difficult times.”

Marie, “You’re right about that. Thanks for answering my questions, I have enjoyed talking to you, and maybe we can do this again sometime.”

Elaine, “Sure. I really appreciate the time you took to talk with me.”

Marie, “I hope you make a difference in your world. I hope one day you touch millions of people with your words. They have had an impact on me. Keep writing and keep spreading hope.”

Elaine, “That’s my goal. I’m not perfect though and my words are often lacking. I can only hope that I can help someone who is struggling with things I have struggled with.  Through everything, we must keep in mind that “Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts.”

That's how I imagine an interview about my blog would go. It was something different and very fun to write. If you guys liked this then please let me know! If you comment and tell me you enjoyed it, I'll do another one like it. If you don't like it, please comment and let me know why. I really want to hear your thoughts.