In my years as a writer I have had to battle the inner critic to be able to put my work out here. I know writers who haven’t done much because the inner critic paralyzed them and they just froze. To succeed in this game of writing you have to shut the inner critic up, and the most powerful way is by changing your mindset. Here are some tips and affirmations you can start practicing immediately to help you shift your mindset so that you can move on to producing your best work yet.
- I am Creative: A lot of creatives self-sabotage by procrastinating because they don’t believe they are good enough. Well I’m here to tell you that if the writing bug has bitten you, you are good enough to be the one to write whatever it is that is giving you sleepless nights. Ditch the mindset that you are an imposter and own your God given talent of writing. Believe in yourself, believe in your ideas, and stop self-sabotaging by letting doubt of ‘are you good enough’ cripple you. Go for your dreams, today! (more on self-doubt on a past blog post, check it out here www.damarisirunguo.com
- I’ll invest in my career: Investing isn’t just about money, but about time, how much time do you invest in your beloved career? Do you spend more time watching other people’s careers on the TV screen or on your social media screen, following people, wishing it was you and so forth? You have to invest time and energy into what you want for your writing life. Read scripts,(find scripts to read on www.simplyscripts.com) write write write, research, read books, cook up stories, the best way to learn is to practice it ,so learn and practice. And as you practice and start putting your work out there, this builds confidence and a lot of it over time. I have worked on many TV shows and Films and I am a witness of the confidence it builds over time. Go for it!
- I’ll deliver Value: How would you feel if you went to the shop and the shopkeeper sold you expired bread?(I’m writing this when hungry so the example had to be of foodJ but Indulge me. Then you notice the bread is expired and confront the shopkeeper about it, the shopkeeper says sorry, he didn’t know the bread was expired. You would be angry because it is the shopkeepers’ job to make sure he checks and sells you good products, the same way you as the writer is expected to deliver great writing that gives your audience a satisfying experience. There is no excuse, as a writer you have to deliver great value to your target audience/reader. This can only be achieved if you work hard on your craft, if you invest in learning about it and practice practice practice. There is no excuse. You have to deliver value, once you understand this, then your mindset shifts and you ask yourself questions that will help you work hard at making sure your reader/audience stay happy.
- I am unique: It had never hit me just how unique everyone is until I stumbled upon the wise saying about finger prints. God gave you a fingerprint that no one else has, so you can leave an imprint that no one else can. Are you wasting your uniqueness by spending time comparing yourself to others and trying to be them, trying to follow in their path? Friend, you are uniquely created for your own path, when you take the time to digest this then your mindset starts to shift and instead of thinking that you’re in competition with others, you start working on your God given strengths and abilities and that is when the magic happens, that is when you discover your writing voice and make a mark with your writing.
- I’ll ditch the poverty support group: Wacheke Nduati of Centonomy says this and I’d love to borrow this line from her.’ Ditch the Poverty support group! As artists we have been trained to think poverty, this is why sometimes we shortchange ourselves, we quote very low, we work so many times for exposure, exposure won’t pay the bills, if you are starting out, by all means work for exposure, you have to and need it, but once you become a seasoned writer you need to be taking yourself as a business and one of the things is to ditch those around you who believe artists should be poor, broke and living on breadcrumbs. I don’t believe in this, I make a comfortable living from my writing and it’s because I ditched the mentality that because I love what I do I shouldn’t get paid decent money for it. If the friends around you are comfortable being broke, ditch them! They will take you down that road with them because the only thing you guys will be talking about is how tough the industry is, how things are not working out. The tongue is a powerful tool, whatever you speaketh, becometh, so speak blessings and prosperity into your life and talent. Aspire for more. Do the best! Be the Best! Money will follow. (read on multiple streams of income for writers, a blog post I wrote www.damarisirunguo.com
I hope these five pointers help you shift your mindset to be the best you can be! Found this interesting? Please share with another writer who needs to hear this today. TIA
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