I’ve been exercising for eight months and I have a consistent routine. If I have to miss a session because of a conflict (work, family, illness, etc.) I obsess over what I am missing.
I wish I could say the same about my writing. I know I should write something daily. I have a novel to edit, several short stories in various stages on completion and this blog. But when I fail to take advantage of writing time, I can easily shrug it off with the promise to write tomorrow. I’ve been waiting on tomorrow for almost a year now.
I’ve been doing some soul-searching (again). Really trying to get to source of my inability to completely pursue a dream I know that I want. I’ve been writing since grade school. I would like to make it my career. All I have to do is put pen to paper, edit, revise and edit some more. I need to send my work out into the world.
What is stopping me you may ask. (Nosy, that.) I keep coming back to one world. Fear. But it’s not fear of failure that is paralyzing. It is fear of success.
As humans, we operate on a set routine. We take comfort in the familiar. Venturing off a planned and previously executed course is uncomfortable. The “unknown” and whatnot. Yet people take that step toward their goals everyday. They push past the discomfort and leap without fear. That’s what I have to do. Exercise some mental toughness and do something different.
My body has gotten stronger due to my work in the gym. Now I have to summon the mental toughness to blast through the fear and write. Today is a good start.
