Our quote today is by Teddy Roosevelt. He said, "Believe you can, and you're halfway there." Considering all that he accomplished over a lifetime, he must have lived what he said.
It sounds so easy to merely believe in yourself and then sprint right on to success. Pretty words but having confidence in yourself does not come easily for some people. Others appear to be born with the attitude of 'I can do this!'
Life experiences definitely play a role in how we feel about ourselves. If you grew up in a family that told you over and over how dumb you were or how you could never do anything right, you'll start believing that as an adult. Teachers who belittle children's accomplishments can knock down confidence in a hurry. Those comments seem to stay in the back of your mind and pop up at times when you begin to doubt your abilities. People who fit this category have a much harder time believing in themselves. Some do it out of sheer determination, and for others, it's very difficult.
The child who grew up with parents who praised and encouraged has little trouble believing in him/herself. When you've been told you are an accomplished person, you can go right on making accomplishments.
How do you gain the confidence needed to believe you can be a good writer? The lyrics from an old song say it well: 'accentuate the positive.' There are positives in every situation, just as there are negatives. Grab onto the positives and hold tight. Ignore the other side.
Remind yourself often of the good parts of your writing journey. It may be something as small as feeling satisfied when you sit down at the computer and start writing something new. It could be the number of acceptances you've had or the ones that came close to being accepted. Or your passion for writing. All of those things should help you believe in yourself as a writer. Consider any and all compliments you have received from readers. That should give you a real boost.
Repeating 'I can do this!' over and over whenever self-doubt creeps in can help you come to actually trust in yourself. A speaker I heard at a meeting many years ago spoke on being able to say "I am a writer" even if you had not published. She told the group that, if you write, you ARE a writer. She went on to recommend that each person stand in front of a mirror and repeat those magic words over and over--"I am a writer." Say it often enough, and you begin to believe it.
No one else can make you believe you can be a writer. Others can give you guidance, but it's you who must believe in yourself. Then, as President Roosevelt told us--'...you're halfway there.'
No comments:
Post a Comment