I’ve probably been stuck in a writer’s block 9/10 times whenever I try to write. I have an idea what to write, but I second guess my ideas minutes later. My vocabulary decreases the minute I try to start writing, and I eventually stay staring at a blank word document most of the time before I’m ready to call it quits for the day.
Some say you need to find your motivation that will fuel you to become a writer. I say that I have a ton of reasons to keep me motivated. But I feel that motivation is just one part of the equation to keep your momentum alive.
There’s days that motivation won’t do anything for me because I allow my impulse to control my actions and behaviours. I succumb to comfortability rather than want to face putting myself out there.
Although I’m motivated to fulfil my dream of becoming a successful writer and reap all the benefits that come with it, I’m not disciplined enough to create a lifestyle dedicated to content creating.
The reason?
Well, they are listed below.
1. I’m not a consistent reader.
I don’t read much.
At least not anymore.
I used to love burying my nose in a book when I was a kid. But my passion for reading fell when I became older. I used to get frustrated with myself because I would get to the bottom of the page and my mind would be somewhere else. I would completely forget where I am.
I try to read consistently.
I set a goal to read for 30 minutes a day! I even hit my reading goal for a couple of days and then eventually I didn’t anymore. I’ve started 3 books since last year and I haven’t finished ANY of them.
What does this have to do with my writing? I’ve read in many articles that in order to be a good writer, you HAVE to be consistent with your reading.
To whomever reads this, I want you to enjoy reading the things I write. I want you to hear my voice in what I write.
But I’ve buried that with this huge fear that what I produce is not good and that my writing isn’t worth reading.
2. I create goals and I don’t stick to them
As mentioned in my reading goal, I get so excited to start a goal and then I don’t see that goal until the end.
In the self-help articles that I’ve read, I’ve used tips such as “write down your goals” because it is supposed to help motivate you to stick to that goal.
If that worked for you that’s great!
But I’m not sure if it really works for me.
I used to get so overwhelmed with the goals I make whether they were short term or long term goals. I’ve realized now that I expect so much from myself.
Although I may be capable of anything, I’m human too. I think it’s scary to follow through with your goals sometimes because it takes time, discipline and commitment to stick with it. It’s either you’re in or you’re out.
You’re either ham or eggs.
The pig or the chicken.
3. I’m not ready to get uncomfortable
I am scared, there I said it.
I am scared to put my writing out there with my name on it. I’m scared to prioritize something I constantly tell myself I’m not good at and make something out of it.
I have two jobs. I have a stable income. I have job security.
I’m comfortable where I am, but I’m not happy.
I try so hard to gain the confidence to put the things I write out there all the time. But like I mentioned earlier, I have such a huge fear and see a big flaw in my writing that I’m not ready to have people I know read my writing.
Crazy right?
I don’t let anyone I know read the things that I write because I’m nervous to hear their feedback. Which is so silly because it shouldn’t matter. But at the back of my mind it does.
I’ve read two articles last week that really flipped a switch for me!
The article below that was written by Tom Kuegler helped me understand that the people you know really only care to read your writing when its about them. If you’re like me and you’re scared to put yourself out there, give this and his other work a read. He gives valuable advice that you can apply to your life if you’re struggling to become a great writer.
Tim Denning’s article below guided me to the perception that it doesn’t matter what people think about your writing. Comments will be negative or positive. Your work will be loved by some, liked by others and hated by a lot.
It helped me come to an understanding that regardless of who may read my writing and how they feel about my writing doesn’t concern me. It’ll just discourage and hurt me in the long run if I just write to please everyone.
Check out his article below along with his other work for more content on how to gain a different perspective when you think failure is your only other option.
4. I have an all or nothing mindset
Does anyone else share this mindset? Where you give everything your all or you don’t put in any effort at all?
Well, that all or nothing mentality is my holy grail.
You either give it your absolute best and make it worth it for your audience to read or you don’t put anything out there at all.
I have typed and deleted sooo many pieces I’ve written because I felt that it was either stupid or that nobody would want to read what I wrote.
I didn’t believe in my abilities as a writer.
I thought all I was capable of was being a writer on content mills like UpWork or Fiverr.
I looked at myself as a complete fraud.
I wasn’t confident in putting out anything I created. I craved perfection and it just wasn’t happening.
But having this all or nothing mindset messes with you. The perfectionist mentality will drive you to insanity. It isn’t something you should live by. Nothing is ever covered with pure perfection.
I won’t ever succeed or get closer to reaching my goals if I continue having this type of mindset because something is always better than nothing.
Flaws make things unique.
Nothing good comes quick.
Baby steps first, run later.
5. I procrastinate
I procrastinate so much it’s ridiculous.
When I was in university, I would do my assignments the night of. I would study hours before my exams! I wrote schedules down, made all sorts of checklists and marked days on my calendar that I would dedicate to help me prepare for my exams or start my assignments.
But regardless of how far in advance I would prepare myself, I was never mentally prepared to actually do the work.
It’s far more easier to plan how you want things to go, than to make them happen.
The only reason why I even started my assignments on the very last possible second was because there was a due date.
Being a freelance creator of any type, you make your own deadlines.
You set your own goals.
You work on YOUR time that you set for yourself.
And yes, I do want to reap the benefits of being a smart, talented writer.
I want to be able to show up for myself and say that I wrote that! There’s so many reasons to motivate me to gravitate closer to my goal. But I’m also the reason I procrastinate.
I waste my time prioritizing other things like social media, television and other unbeneficial things that make me semi-happy. It makes it hard to stay consistent with my writing and be confident enough to finish what I started.
For me to become a better writer, I need to take myself seriously. If I don’t set a time or a deadline for myself who will?
With all these reasons being said I think I’m ready to recognize the flaws that stop me from being the creator I want to become.
Which is easier said than done.
I’ve realized that the goals that I create overwhelm me because I put so much on my plate that I’m just the chicken. I’m the eggs.
If I allow motivation to be my only driving force, I’ll also allow the impulses to intervene when motivation doesn’t fuel me anymore. I need to become disciplined so I can challenge myself on those days where motivation isn’t accessible to me.
I just need to be committed to taking baby steps, being consistent and disciplined as it will help me become the writer that I’ve dreamt to be.
To be successful it’s mind over matter, just remember that you’re human too.
Being able to learn about yourself and be the best “you” is the hardest part of self-discovery! I hope you enjoyed this piece and thank you so much for reading!
If you liked what you read, check out my other work!
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Previously Published on medium
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Photo credit: by Steve Johnson on Unsplash