Immerse Yourself in Ickiness

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

Sometimes as web writers we come across things we don't like in our research. While some might tell you to walk away from it, I'm not going to. Immerse yourself in the ickiness. Seriously. It's good for you and humanity. I promise.

I don't like bad things. Isn't "negativity" bad for me? Well, yes and no. While it may not be a good thing to dwell on something you can't change, it's not a good thing to ignore what you perceive as "bad". Why not? Ignoring the ickiness only makes it worse. If something bothers you, instead of ignoring it, immerse yourself in it and find out how you can change it.

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Why should I get that close to the ick? Nothing will change if it's ignored and not studied. You can't take action on something you know nothing about. As a writer, you have the power to reach a wider audience than most and actually get something done. So immerse yourself in it. Figure it out if it really bothers you that much. If it's bad enough to make you want to ignore it, that's a sign that something about it needs to change. When something creates that powerful of a response, it may be a sign that you're the one who can change it. The only way to change something is to know about it and then take action. You can't do that without getting up close and personal.

Why me? Why should I be the one to get a dose of ickiness? Why not? If you're the one who feels bad about something, you're the perfect candidate to fix it. The bad feeling you get is likely telling you what's wrong with the bigger picture. This means you may have the solution others are seeking. What if no one else has thought of the same thing and it could help you, as well as them? And again, you are a web writer. This means you have an audience that might be able to listen. You have the power to spread the word about these things and do it in a way that people understand. Remember, "the pen is mightier than the sword".

It was just a stupid story or piece of research, right? Again, no matter what it is that you are perceiving as "bad", if it was enough to bother you, maybe it's not "just" a story. Maybe it's more than that. I'm a big believer in the fact that everything happens for a reason. I also happen to believe that if your brain is telling you something (some call it intuition), you should listen. Those feelings you have, such as anger or frustration, are exactly what you need in order to get motivated to solve a problem. Use that energy to do good, instead of ignoring it.

When people walk away from ickiness, it remains icky. While it may be hard to focus on the "bad" things in life, it takes focus, discussion, and/or research to solve those things. If everyone keeps ignoring what they perceive as bad or wrong, it never goes away. In fact, it will likely get worse. That's like ignoring a leaky toilet and hoping the leak will solve itself. Of course it won't. It's going to get worse and worse and turn into an even bigger issue until you fix it or call a plumber.

Immerse yourself in the ickiness. It's good for you -- and for humanity as a whole.