Being An Authentic Writer
I want to be a famous writer.
I also want to be an authentic writer.
For me, as it is with many, both are not meant to co-exist in my world.
Do you feel this is true for you?
Do you see what others are accomplishing and wish that you were experiencing a similar level of triumph?
Does it hurt to see they have a new course on their website? Another new book? Maybe they tweeted about being mentioned in a magazine and it has you totally deflated.
You write and sales do not take off. They pander to an audience and get tons of likes and shares.
You slave to try and juggle your life and multi-faceted world while they sail through their day with a single goal.
They are doing it and you are not.
Why can't that be you?
Perhaps the hard question is:
Should that be you?
Now, breathe with me a minute.
Don't think that I mean that you are supposed to be a failure.
That is the opposite of what I mean.
I simply want you to look at how you define success.
Are you using the world's definition?
Or your own?
Imagine...
Imagine your most authentic self.
A you that is centered, fulfilled and validated.
What does that you look like?
Are you navigating a day job and creative writing for enjoyment?
Have you quit the day job to write full time?
Are you constantly patrolling social media, caught up in your fears and anxiety?
Are you playing games, manipulating the day just to keep from feeling fake?
Imagine an authentic you that is happy. A you that might not yet exist...
That can REALLY be you!
Do something great for yourself today.
Stop using the world's definition of success and happiness.
Create your own.
You used to write to create stories you enjoyed. Somewhere along the way, you got caught up in the commercialism and the branding and the marketing and the podcasts, newsletters, SEO training, WordPress themes, etc, etc, etc....
Do you have to do those things? Or are you doing them because you think it's expected of you?
Just for a month, drop one thing that has been really stressing you out. One thing that simply aggravates you and no longer gets you closer to that authentically happy self.
Honor that you tried your best and that it did not work. Forgive yourself, don't engage in negative self-talk, and simply walk away from that one thing.
Re-define.
Gauge how happiness and energy begin to flow again.
Pick the next thing in your life that is not serving a more authentic and happy you.
Repeat.
You do not have to have every light on in every room of your life all the time.
You do not have to be everything for everyone everywhere all the time.
It is ok!
Make yourself a priority and if that means that writing is just to make you happy, then honor that. Accept that. Use that as your definition of happiness. (It is a great definition, in my opinion!)
If people flock to your light like moths to a flame, then let that be icing on your cake.
YOUR cake.
Turn off lights in the rooms you are not working in right now.
Focus that energy.
Don't worry that you're not world famous right this second.
Create that most authentic you.
Enjoy creating today and know that the joy of writing can be the sweetest success there is.
