The secret to any kind of success is one people rarely talk about, either because they don't think they have to point it out or they don't realize it i the first real step.
The first thing to worry about, the thing that matters first, before all others?
Your confidence.
And failing to emphasize the importance of confidence is doing yourself a real disservice.
If you are not confident, no amount of planning or research or outlining will get you very far. You
may sit down to write, but without the confidence to back you up, you will soon find yourself
flailing staring at a blank screen or citing the issue as “writer’s block.” And even if you get
words onto paper, your own selfdoubt will come through; though you may want them to say
one thing, your tone will read, “I don’t really believe this. And neither should you.”
If you first build your confidence, though — and do it in a way that is both sincere and
natural (a way that works for you, not someone else) — then you can take just about
any step you want.
If you exude confidence, it shows. And getting yourself over that hurdle is one of the most
important steps in becoming a writer. (As Theodore Roosevelt said, “believe in yourself and
you’re halfway there.”)
And when you sit down to write or put your words out there with confidence, each of your
efforts is multitudes more effective.
Some people feel ineffective taking the necessary steps outline to succeed. They tell
themselves that they want to write and they may even go through the motions, outlining their
pieces and scheduling out the time to do them, but they never see much success.
And the best advice that they will likely receive for this is: “just keep going.” And while that may
be true, it is also very true that if you are only “writing” in the sense that you are “making
words,” without a true belief in your ability at the craft, then you are missing a critical
component.
Forcing yourself to write, for example, when you do not believe in the words as you put them
down to paper will only exacerbate the problem. You may hit word counts and you may save
stuff to your harddrive, but none of it will be as good as it could be with your heart behind it,
pushing the work forward and ballooning the work out.
And although your confidence at writing will likely improve over time using the “reps” method
alone, it is a slowgoing and largely ineffective approach. And there is a better way to do it.
Instead, take the time to build your confidence beforehand.
How?
Here are things that have worked for me. You do not even need to pursue all of them; you can
focus your energies on one, and you will still likely benefit.
1. Think yourself into a positive attitude
Uh, yeah, I mean mantras. Dismiss them if you want, but at least hear me out. If you say only
uplifting things to yourself, uplifting things are eventually what you’ll believe. It protects you from
the selfdoubt and selfhate that sometimes creeps into your psyche. If you busy yourself
thinking one thing, there’s no room for weeds to take root.
For a good starting place, try Napoleon Hill’s selfconfidence formula. Or, if Hill isn’t your style,
use whatever works for you. Make up your own mantras.
The point is this:
You are what you think and believe.
If your thoughts are not constructive and exuberant, you won’t be, either.
2. Take baby steps
If you are having trouble sitting down to your writing with enthusiasm and courage, try breaking
it up into much smaller chunks. Instead of thinking of it in terms of “a book” or “an article” or
even “1,000 words,” for example, focus in on fragments baby steps. (Just make sure to
pursue baby steps that make you feel awesome.)
3. Pursue what comes naturally, even if it doesn’t seem related to
your goal.
Your confidence does not all have to be derived from what you are actually trying to
accomplish. Your steps just have to make you feel good and reestablish your belief in yourself.
Just because you are trying to write does not mean that all of your confidence has to come
from writing confidence is transferable. (It is a very strong fiber, after all.)
If you’re a talented illustrator, draw for 20 minutes. If you’re a crossword puzzle whiz, do one.
Point is, doing something you are good at build confidence. Period.
4. Or tackle something scary.
Getting my wisdom teeth pulled terrified me. I put the appointment off for years. This was
during a time when I worked a job I hated and knew I needed to quit, but I was scared to do
that, too.
Months later than I should have, I finally put in my notice, and since my health insurance was
expiring, I also had to have the teeth removed. I scheduled the appointment for the last day of
work and, as I drove there, high on the realization I was leaving the office for the last time, it
dawned on me: after finally quitting, the wisdom teeth felt like a joke.
If the writing seems overwhelming, conquer something else in the meantime. Tackle one fear,
and other things feel suddenly easier.
3. Once you tackle something successfully, hold onto that little
surge of confidence
A body in motion stays in motion! Dwell on the selfesteem and energy boost that you feel and
quickly find something else to apply yourself to. If you can find something either a little scarier
or a little more in line with your real goal, then do it.
Keep at the little things to keep building confidence. Do whatever you need to keep this
momentum. Do not let it dwindle at any cost. Get into a silly routine if you have to. Persevere
and try to build on the boost by applying yourself to more and more challenging tasks.
Because the real step one, before you can be effective at taking any of the other steps toward
success, is to build up your confidence. Confidence is everything.
It is absolutely the most important first step. You have to believe that you are a writer. Say that
you are a writer (that was Lesson 1) and then believe that that statement is true.
The real first step to success in anything is building ourselves up and developing the courage
that we can conquer the task. We have to have the confidence in order to do anything in life
the courage to approach tasks hear on is a key component in our eventual success.
To repeat:
“Believe that you can and you are halfway there.”
- Theodore Roosevelt
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