When I first got here, I was in awe of what I saw. And, for a little bit, I so very much wanted to stand up and say "Yeah? Well I can do better than that." Then reality hit me in the head. A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away . . . . Okay, so not that long ago, in a town near somebody, I quit comparing myself to others and started comparing myself to myself. If I do something well, but think I can do it better, I gauge my improvement against what I've done in the past, not what others are doing. Sure, I like to hear the nice compliment once in a while, but what I really like to hear is something along the lines of "That's your best work yet." Something like that tells me that others are paying attention not only to what I'm doing, but what I've done and where I can go.

Don't get me wrong, I love the challenges, even when work and family life beat the bejeezuz out of me and keep me from completing my entries. I always learn something from them, always take something new away from the process of trying to participate. That, I guess, is the key word. Sure, it's a competition of sorts, but it's more about participation, win, lose or draw. If you can keep that in your head as you're working, you'll get along just fine, and, before you know it, you'll be making maps you never would have imagined yourself making when you first joined the guild.

BTW, I'm just eating up those story snippets, so you can keep them coming as long as you like.

GW