We can all think of times when we have shrunk back and didn’t work toward those goals. Why not? Is it laziness? Lack of discipline? A lack of talent?

No, it’s usually just self-doubt. Even if the logical side of our brains tells us we can achieve it, self-doubt creeps in and we hold back. The novelist Sylvia Plath once said, “And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.”

Self-doubt seems like a relatively mild concept, but let’s call a spade a spade. Self-doubt is just fear in disguise. We don’t doubt ourselves because of any rational thought process. We’re just plain old scared of failing.

So, take courage. If you’re working on a big goal and you have a good plan for achieving it, don’t get sidetracked by negative emotions.

That fear you’re feeling is just a ghost, a mirage, a phantom. There’s nothing it can do to hurt you, and if you ignore it, it will eventually go away and haunt somebody else.

Question: Are you holding back from accomplishing a goal that’s important to you? What would it feel like to start moving toward it even though you’re afraid?

The post Self-Doubt is Just Fear in Disguise appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

Have you ever stopped to wonder why we sometimes don’t do the things we really want to do?

For many years, statistics have shown that at least 8 out of every 10 people want to write a book. Why, then, do so many not follow through on their writing dreams?

But the problem is not just out there. It’s in here, too. We can think of times when we shrank back and didn’t follow through on our goals. Is it laziness? Lack of discipline? A lack of talent?

No, it’s usually just self-doubt. Even if the logical side of our brains tells us we can achieve it, self-doubt creeps in and we hold back. The novelist Sylvia Plath once said, “And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.”

Self-doubt seems like a relatively mild concept, but let’s call a spade a spade. Self-doubt is just fear in disguise. We don’t doubt ourselves because of any rational thought process. We’re just plain old scared of failing.

So take courage. If you’re working on a big goal and you have a good plan for achieving it, don’t get sidetracked by negative emotions. That fear you’re feeling is just a ghost, a mirage, a phantom. There’s nothing it can do to hurt you, and if you ignore it, it will eventually go away and haunt somebody else.

The post Fear is Just a Mirage appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

Therefore, when we feel negative emotions like fear or doubt, we wonder if we’re the only ones going through it. We secretly imagine that everybody else is confident and secure, and we’re the only ones who are feeling a little shaky. 

But rest assured, every other writer feels the same way. It’s part of the deal of being a writer. The screenwriter and producer Brian Koppelman said, “Self-doubt goes hand-in-hand with self-expression. Tune it out for two hours and day, and you’ll have a finished screenplay.” 

The real question is not whether you’re alone in feeling self-doubt. Of course, you’re not alone. Everyone else goes through it as well. 

Instead, the real question is whether you will follow through on your writing, on your work, and on what you have been called to do as a creator. If you do that on a consistent basis, you’ll have a finished work in your hand before you know it. 

The post Self-Doubt is Part of the Deal appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.