Every morning that I get ready to write, especially when projects are due that day, I'm filled with fear and doubt. I'm overwhelmed with balancing my writing workload and all my family responsibilities (I homeschool our 6th and 8th grade daughters). I put in 40-50+ hours per week writing, along with several hours homeschooling, taking kids to activities and preparing meals. I'm stretched, physically and emotionally, with seemingly little energy to face each project.
So when I sit at a table at my local Starbucks "office," I think to myself, Is this the project that takes me down? Is the project I fail to fulfill for the client? Do I really have what it takes? I find myself tempted by procrastination activities, wanting to divert my attention to doing more research, more business planning, more social media, or anything else but tackling the projects that need to get done TODAY.
I've been writing professionally since 1997, and full-time freelance since 2008. You'd think these feelings would go away.
They don't. At least for me, they don't.
Perhaps you experience similar feelings of fear, doubt, anxiety or whatever you want to call those knots in the stomach as you approach crunch time with writing projects.
How do you push through it?
What I do: Feel the fear but do it anyway.
I've made my peace with the fact that fear will accompany me every day. It's just the way it is. That's because every project brings with it the risk of failure. I've come to realize that greatness can only be attained when we push ourselves to the edge of failure.
In other words, if we're not pursuing projects that stretch us, that position us to directly confront our weaknesses and the prospect of failure, can we truly achieve greatness in our profession?
I've changed my perception of that fear. I've made it my friend and choose to harness its energy to help me succeed. Those knots in my stomach? They represent the "butterflies" that come with anticipation of pulling off the impossible project - and blowing away my clients' expectations.
About the Author: Sean M. Lyden is a nationally recognized feature writer and columnist on sales, marketing, automotive and technology topics. As a ghostwriter and copywriter, Sean has served clients such as General Motors, SunTrust Service Corporation, Morgan Stanley, Embedded Linux Consortium and Shaw Industries. He’s also co-author of the book How to Succeed and Make Money on Your First Rental House (Wiley, 2003). Follow Sean on Twitter.
© Sean M. Lyden, 2011, All Rights Reserved
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