Back in the nineties when I was finishing high school, it was thought the sensible career pathway was one where you would study hard, get a job in that field and work continuously until you climbed up the many pathways to success.
This usually meant working for someone else and for a lot of people it involved pushing aside the creative passion that lit them up inside. It was thought of as easier due to being:
- The road most travelled.
- The path of least resistance.
- What was expected.
There were two people who stand out in my high school for continuing with their passion. One – let’s call her Felicity, loved to sing and perform at school. She was in all the school concerts and everyone knew her as a singer. After school she persisted with her passion, even releasing songs when it wasn’t the norm to do. Felicity is now an award-winning artist with an album out. Another person, I’ll name him Harry, was a year or two above me and loved to act. Like Felicity, Harry was in all the school concerts and everyone knew him as the funny, confident performer. He went on to star in movies, ads and musical theatre.
Both persisted with their passions and continued working on their craft while others (myself, included) did not. I've been diving in deep lately to find out why that is. Some possibilities:
- They saw this was possible through having another person close to them that succeeded in their passion.
- Teachers or family members encouraged them to pursue their passions.
- Peers complimented them in their talents and lifted them up to the possibility they would be successful.
All of the above points would contribute. But as I make this journey of self-discovery I realise the main attribute it comes down to is self-belief. Many factors contribute to self-belief, including self-esteem, confidence and the ability to complete goals.
How do we change the writer mindset so we believe in ourselves?
Changing your mindset can’t happen in a day, or a week or even a month. It is a life-long process from years of thinking you aren’t good enough. Here are the ways I am building my self-esteem up and hopefully my self-belief as well:
- Researching writers who have made it. Ones who are like me – starting later in life and who stopped their creative pursuits once they left school.
- Working on my inner child and building her up through meditation and hypnosis to believe she can be a successful writer.
- Setting myself achievable writing goals.
- Looking back on my accomplishments.
- Affirmations – changing the negative thoughts I had around writing when I was younger to positive thoughts.
- Putting my work out there – getting feedback from professionals who will help my writing grow and will give me a confidence boost.
- Telling people I write – for years I kept this a secret but now most people I am close to know I am a writer.
Are there any mindset shifts you have had as a writer that need to be made? Or are there any you have successfully changed? I would love to know in the comments below.
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