On Fridays, I post Affirmations.
I look back on the past week and look ahead to the coming week and set my intentions. It’s something I’ve been practicing the past several months, and I’m feeling the (positive) effects.
But like everyone, I can get caught up in negative thoughts. In particular, I’m prone to self-doubt.
Let’s face it: As writers, we are often subjected to rejection. That’s just the nature of this business.
Sit down with your feelings. Write your little heart out. Fret about the best way to present your most personal thoughts and ideas. Lovingly revise your work until you’re sure it’s perfect. Send it off to an editor or publisher. Wait with mounting anticipation to find out how highly said editor or publisher thinks of it. And then have your soul crushed when your work receives the dreaded thumbs down.
Sure, it builds character, we tell ourselves. But, if we let it, it can also build a severe case of self-doubt that keeps us from spreading our wings or pursuing more opportunities. Again, that’s the nature of this business. But it can be paralyzing. It’s up to us to decide whether that paralysis is temporary or permanent.
We forget that editors and publishers read work from thousands of writers just like us, or that they may have just published, or are planning to publish, something similar to what we’ve submitted. That doesn’t mean our work isn’t worthy of publication. It just means that it wasn’t a good fit for that particular medium. So why do we beat ourselves up about it?
This week, I’m focusing on moving beyond that defeatist mindset. My affirmation is a simple one:
I am enough.
This applies to more than my professional pursuits. In my personal life, as a parent, in relationships … I am enough. I’ve got plenty on my plate, but I’m handling it. I’m not perfect, and I don’t want to be.
I’m enough.
And that’s enough.
Do you use affirmations?