I thought I would share this bit of insight with you this morning.
I feel that most of us ‘creative’ minded people have a ‘doubting demon’ housed in the backs of our consciousnesses, slowly feeding and chipping away on our confidence. This constantly reminds us that we ‘don’t have what it takes’.
Sometimes, throughout the process of creating a piece of art, (no matter what the medium you choose to utilize), without warning and quite uninvited the thoughts occur from deep inside, “I can’t do this. Maybe I’ll try again later. It’s not as good as the other guy. I should just give up.”
This constant diet of negative thought makes it very difficult to ‘believe’ in our own work, and to prove to ourselves that it IS good enough to keep pursuing.
Well okay, maybe you don’t have one of these critters dwelling in the dark recesses of your confidence, but I definitely do. Unfortunately I listen to this advice more than I should.
I have discovered that the trick to finishing a project doesn’t have anything to do with the encouragement we receive from family, friends or our peers. It does however have everything to do with the never ending fight within ourselves, against our own self esteem, self perception and how we value ourselves in comparison to what we think of others.
Having listened to my inner doubt one day and avoiding my true desires to write, I found this fantastic piece of advice while stumbling through the vastness of the internet. It struck me so profoundly that I posted a note right over the top of my computer to constantly remind me of its thoughtful and inspiring message.
It has helped me overpower the doubts I fight, sometimes daily, in this quest of mine to write a better story.
So here it is. I truly hope you glean from it everything I did and it can prove as a source of weaponry against your own ‘doubting demon’.
I wish you only good luck in your pursuits, whatever they may be. Follow your dreams, they will lead you to good places.
S.J. Johnson
http://sivers.org/obvious
“The journey of one mans slide into the gruesome and bloody reality of his worst nightmare.
“Jennifer is holding onto a big secret, but her handsome husband is also holding onto a secret of his own. Both secrets will change the outcome of their lives forever.
S.J. Johnson 