Have you ever started a project with great excitement and passion only to go head first into the activities to pull back and debate whether or not you’re truly ready for it? That inner voice giving you doubt that you may not have the right skill set to pull it off? If so then this blog post is for you!
I’ve been there, done that and got the tee-shirt. I have this experience in my professional life as well as my personal life as a writer. It was recently, where I was giving advice to someone about accepting that they weren’t perfect (I mean who is) but the goal is to do it and give it a shot with something your passionate about. Additionally, how do you ever gain experience if your not willing to go for it? Inner critic be damned!
Then the Oprah ‘a-ha’ moment hit me like a mack truck. I had halted my activities on my novel (a fantastic idea) all because I thought I needed more time and experience as a writer, that I wouldn’t do the story justice. I even made a strategic plan in order to get me at a level with experience, that I thought I needed just to come back to the one, I really wanted to do. Oh the webs we weave in avoidance! It wasn’t an awful plan, I do have more experience now in my writing, but the big piece of experience with my replaced idea novel was not inspiring nor was it going well – it wasn’t my original idea and passion, it was the rebound novel, like after a bad breakup. Exciting at first but not completely what you want long term while still emotional from your previous relationship; and a novel is long term and work.
I needed some inspiration and something to get me on track and by God, to finish my original novel that I am so passionate about. It wasn’t like I didn’t already have efforts there, I had 132 pages and 32,000 word count with a drafted outline – why was it just sitting there. Courage damn it! Yes that good swift kick in the ass, where you question what the heck are you doing – what the hell was I doing?? I decided to pick up Alan Watt’s book, The 90-Day Novel and get to work. Amazingly, the first chapters are like looking in a mirror regarding all the self doubts I had in the past and why this great unfinished novel is sitting on a shelf. I am cruising through the process as I can on a daily mission to get my 1st draft truly completed and outta my head, crazy enough I have been thinking on this idea for over 5 years!
I do have set backs from time to time, but I am making the efforts and following a structure which is helpful. I have been reading what I wrote on my novel, and recalling how critical I was, thinking it was pure crap in the past. Actually it’s not so bad and it’s moldable and heck draft 1 to draft 3 – 4 usually is quite different. Maybe I am more relaxed in the process, and now have more confidence, who knows. I won’t, however, continue to be a hypocrite on telling others to go for it, when I wasn’t truly invested.
QUESTION:
Tell me are you taking the leap and going for it? What keeps you going and how do you silence that inner voice/critic? Would love to hear your experiences and advice on how you keep trotting along.
Look forward to your comments and the discussion.
- courage is a muscle. build it. (eyesopen99.wordpress.com)
- Courage and Content (maverickphilosopher.typepad.com)
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