Embrace Yourself Writer

It takes me a little bit to remember what it was like in my world before the internet. Days lasted forever because I was outside, always running, playing, and making up stories. I would spend hours staring outside my window, watching the wind blow through the trees. Now I look at trees in pictures on my phone.  My world revolves around the internet, even my job relies on it. I got caught up recently in the comparison game on social media. I had to tell myself daily,  jealousy isn’t worth it because no one’s life is perfect, and I only see the highlight reel. 

So when I was struggling with the comparison game, I’d come across hundreds of posts, blogs, and videos about loving who you are. With all this time at home lately, I have been overly reflective of my life, and I was considering the following...

How many of us, especially artists, take self-love to heart?

Do you believe people when they say you can dream big dreams? 

When someone compliments our work, does it get through to our hearts? Do we even know how to take a compliment? 

Comparison is one scab I have been picking about often now. This year, in particular, because I have been online more than have been ever, I am comparing myself to everyone out there. 

My social media reads...

He is writing 2500 words every day! 

She just published her first poetry collection! 

They are making thousands of freelancing and off their blogs how! 

These posts would be motivating for some people, but for me, all I am doing is comparing my life to theirs. No, I have no idea what their home life is like or other commitments. I am strictly looking at how much they produce and noticing I am not producing that much. Kindly I remind myself of the writer I am and to go at my own pace in my own time.  I have to tell myself I will work a little every day to chip away at what I am trying to accomplish. 

The next scab I am picking is you don’t know anything. In the grand scheme of the world, it’s true, I know very little. Even when I focus on writing alone, I am sure I have only skimmed the surface. I feel this way because I have a degree in creative writing.  

Have you been to a university library where there are floors and floors of books? 

There are millions of blogs posted daily as well.

How could I ever consume that much information? 

Only an AI could read all of the material being put out there now.  Again gently, I realize in my own life, I am an expert when it comes to my struggles with writing and getting in my own way.

The last scab I have been picking is that no one will read this or give a crap. There is some truth to that statement.  Many will read this blog and never click on my site again.  I know I am not alone because we all go through times where we question what we are producing. 

However,  I have to remember the one. The one is the person we all write for, but sometimes we forget about them. They are the ones that will say yeah me too. I have been there, or I am there right now. And even if they don’t get anything else out of this, they will know they are not alone fighting to be a writer. 

It is easy to get lost in all of these mindsets as a writer, but I’m going to ask you to fight them as I do. 

    Your story really matters, write it.  

Your creative mind matters, be kind.

Your writing could save one person from loneliness. 

We were not all made to write 2500 words a day, or publish our book tomorrow. That is okay. No, really, it is okay. 

Be the writer you were made to be.  

I’m calling out to you struggling writers be kind to yourself because we still need you. 

We really need you.

Stop self-loathing for wasting so much time. 

Give yourself a break, wake up tomorrow with new hope, and try the next day again if it all goes to crap. 

Start with 5 minutes and then work your way to 10 minutes. 

Give yourself 10 minutes of self-care in one day. 

Accept who you are as a writer and allow yourself to be that writer, not the one you think you should be.

In the meantime, let it all go and just write.