Silence Self-Limitations

by Annette Young

We are all guilty of allowing self-limitations to hold us back. We might not think about them, we might not even want to admit that we hold back from our creative dreams but the chances are that these self-limitations perform a stranglehold on our publishing aspirations.

I know I was guilty of this when I picked up my first professional writing job many years ago. I kept looking at the project overview and experienced real moments of panic wondering why on earth I had said I could write. At that moment, my instinct was to backtrack from the project quickly and to tell the client I could not do it. Fighting back those feelings of doubt, I managed to start and finish the project and yes, I even enjoyed it.

Thank goodness I managed to silence my own self-doubts and banished those self-limiting thoughts because my life would have been very different I think if I had not persevered.

So if you think that you might be guilty of not going all out for your publishing dream, you may be wondering what you can do to overcome these inner shackles.

1. Imagine how productive you might be if you could approach every writing project with supreme confidence and to know that you could not fail. Although even the most professional and successful of writers have doubts, they don’t let those insecurities stop them from relishing their creative moments.

2. You might want to be a writer, but are you really passionate and totally committed to your writing? If yes, it is easier to just enjoy the creative process and to worry later. To be successful, you have to be prepared to just go for it and this means making mistakes and learning from them.

3. Do you believe that you could be a successful writer? You might know that there are grounds for improvement, but deep down, can you picture the moment you gain publication or win a writing competition? You need to keep that image dangling in front of you as it will keep you striving forward.

4. Plan your writing times wisely. Work at those times when you feel the most creative but make no mistake, you have to be able to channel your creative thoughts at times which become available to  you suddenly. If you can do this, you will also sharpen your mindset and really start to believe in yourself.

5. The next time that you start to doubt yourself, write down all the reasons why you want to be a writer. When you have finished, write down all the reasons why you might not want to write and the chances are that one word will be prevalent – fear. The best way to deal with fear is to acknowledge it and to face it head on. It is the best way to silence those self-limitations.

 

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