This is a guest post by Jody Calkins of Emery Road.
Are you struggling with your writing goals? Do you dream of writing books, but you haven’t written one yet?
It’s the resistance that is holding you back. Do you know what kind?
There are many forms of resistance: procrastination, perfectionism, fear, self-doubt, doubt from others, distractions and even excessive research.
It’s time to recognize resistance for what it is. Resistance will hold you by the belt loops, drag you down and frustrate you until you either lose hope and give up on your dreams or you find a better way to fight it.
The Resistance That Keeps You From Writing
In order to fight the resistance, you must first determine what it is. What is that thing that is holding you back?
Is your perception of writers holding you back? Most writers don’t make money writing, right? So why should you? What’s the point of even trying?
Do you have family members who tell you that to save you from a lifetime of poverty? Are they jealous because you have found that thing you love to do, that thing you’re passionate about? Do they try to drag you down? Express doubt, question you and ask you how much money you expect to make?
If you write for a living, do they call you during your work hours and ask you to lunch, because surely you have plenty of time on your hands? Do they ask you to go shopping? Or just call to chat?
Resistance can come in furry four-legged form as well. Do you have a cat that loves to cuddle with you, but makes it difficult for you to write? (I have three of those!)
Sometimes, the type of resistance that is really holding you back isn’t quite so obvious. They can be those thoughts that you don’t realize are causing you to struggle in your writing. Sometimes you don’t even know you have them at all.
Those thoughts are based on preconceived notions that you don’t deserve success, that you’re not good enough, that you’re not worthy enough, that there is something wrong with “the rich.” Those negative thoughts, or any thought that hinders you from achieving greatness, diminish productivity and motivation.
All these things keep you from achieving your writing dreams.
Breaking Through To The Other Side
Once you know the reasons for why you’re not succeeding in your writing career, the next step is learning how to break through them. Don’t let them keep you from doing what you were meant to do.
Take, for example, a situation in which you are talking with another person who is giving you bad vibes. How does it make you feel? Do you continue to talk to that person? Or do you exit the situation right away? You would exit that situation as quickly as possible, right?
When overcoming resistance, you need to treat it like an unwanted encounter with that person who gave you the bad vibes. Plan your exit strategy and carry it out as quickly as possible. Resistance does not deserve your attention. Perhaps the only good thing about it is that it lets you know you’re on the right path.
When experiencing resistance through other people’s negativity, Sandi Krakowski, my business coach, recommends limiting your interaction with negative people. Surround yourself with positive people who not only want you to succeed but also are capable of empowering you to keep pressing on along the way.
Remember, greatness can be achieved if we learn to fight the resistance and work hard toward our writing dreams.
What resistance keeps you from writing? Please share in the comments.
About the Author: Jody Calkins is a copywriter and editor for global business management and leadership development corporations. She specializes in writing and editing articles, case studies, newsletters and reports that showcase her clients’ expertise and unique capabilities. She also assists writers in improving their writing skills through her copy editing services. For more information, visit her blog, Emery Road.
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The biggest resistance that keeps me from writing is that it’s narcissism. I want to write a memoir. I have a kickass story, actually so many it would be really challenging to choose. My great grandmother was a poor midwife who had several back and forth correspondences with Eleanor Roosevelt. My father developed the Learjet, and invented the first practical car radio. John Wayne was my son’s godfather. But then there’s me, and all the experiences that became the fertilizer for my growth. I went from being the free-wheeling, sexually promiscuous singer/songwriter and wife of a well-known artist (had three children with him) to a 500-hour yoga and meditation teacher. But NARCISSISM is the word that paralyzes my fingers. How is a memoir not a big long “Look at me!”?
@Tina Wow! What a life!!! I think the way you keep a memoir from being too “narcissistic” is to 1) Be inspiring 2) Give guidance or advice 3) Have fucking amazing stories to tell, so amazing that people won’t care that you’re “bragging” about how amazing your life has been 🙂
Hi Tina,
I stumbled across this as I become reacquainted with my love of words and writing. That idea of narcissism is just another form of self doubt. Jennifer’s ideas are right. Be proud of your experiences and share them with the world!!!!