It rears its ugly head at the worst of times, like when I'm posting a blog post about something important to me, I'll hear a voice in my head saying that I don't have the experience or knowledge to write about it. It tells me that I'm being phony, and that no one's going to want to read what I have to say. It tells me that I should give up.
And there's nothing that I love more than stringing words together to make something beautiful. I love reading over a sentence I've written that sounds like music in my head. Like wind chimes. But my own self-doubt tells me that I'm not good enough and that anything I write will never measure up... that no one could possibly want to read anything that I've written.
How do I overcome it? Sometimes I don't. But sometimes, I tell myself that the point of this life is to live and if I'm living it afraid, then am I really living at all? Sometimes I tell myself that not trying at all is worse than failing. And it's that voice that I try to listen to. I don't want to be too scared to go after the things that I want, and what I want is to write and to be proud of what I write, haters be damned.
What do you do when you start experiencing self-doubt?
I think we all have self doubt. I definitely experience lots of self doubt about my writing. I have never thought it was good enough, but I've learned to continue anyway. If nothing else, practice makes perfect (or at least helps me improve). :)
ReplyDeleteI like to tell myself that as long as I'm trying, I'm progressing. Whether that means my blog is progressing, my writing is progressing, or that I am progressing through both. In college, I had enormous trouble with motivation when it came to sitting down and writing (anything), but particularly with creative writing--even though that was my major. A professor one day then asked me WHO I was writing for. It's odd, really, because that inner critic like you talked about is so prevalent that we don't even recognize it's there a lot of the time. When I realized my critic was censoring my writing due to others around me and preventing me from writing, even, something came unglued and I was able to write more frequently. What I've found helps is trying to censor that inner critic instead of letting it censor your material. Even if that means writing the weirdest mishmash of words possible before you edit. It also comes around to exactly what you stated: "haters be damned."
ReplyDeleteSame here with the depression and anxiety. I also am horrible with the self doubt piece. Sometimes I just won't do something because I doubt myself so much and then sometimes I do it just to prove myself and others that I can.
ReplyDeleteAmen! If you write something you're proud of, then screw everybody else.
ReplyDeleteAnd not that it should matter: but I love your writing - and I think you're awesome.
keep on doing what you do!
Girl, I am so my own worst enemy! I'm trying really hard to just get in a "zen" place when I start doubting myself. That and 10mg of Melatonin to help me sleep at night.
ReplyDeleteIt helps to have a husband believe in me more than I believe in myself, though.
Thanks for linking up with Lovely Thursdays!
This is so inspiring! Thanks for your honesty. I feel this way all the time!
ReplyDeleteI think I am similar to you, I try to imagine the worst thing that can happen, and it's rarely worse than not trying at all!
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