7 Quotes I Remind Myself of When I Fear My Writing Will be Inadequate

Back in middle school when I played recreational volleyball, I once cried after a win because I felt like my performance was poor.

Then in college, after joining and leading many clubs, I still worried I wasn’t employable enough.

In other words, I’m hard on myself and I’m scared of inadequacy.

But as a freelance writer, I have to consistently put myself “out there.” My opinions, typos and writing skills are out for everyone to see all the time.

It’s a little short of terrifying.

I keep going, though, because I love it.

Because this is what I want to do. Because out of all areas of my life, writing is something I hold dearest to me and seek validation in most.

I find this humorous now, remembering that in kindergarten I received the Most Expressive Writer Award, but cried because I wanted the Most Friendly Award.

I still care about being friendly, but am more hard on myself with writing. If you also struggle with fearing your work is inadequate no matter how much success you find, I suggest reading the book “Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert and reading the following quotes that have helped me.

“‘You think you can scare me off? I’ve got another eighty years to wear you down! There are people who haven’t even been born yet who are gonna reject me someday — that’s how long I plan to stick around.’” -Elizabeth Gilbert

In her book “Big Magic,” Gilbert says that no rejection will stop her from writing. I love this perspective. It reminds me to write because I love it and to not let rejection stop me from writing. Seeing rejection in this way helps me laugh in the face of it, which can be crucial.

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” -Eleanor Roosevelt

When I experience rejection, I often feel like I’ve lost something. Lost someone’s approval, lost precious time, lost a piece of myself. But Roosevelt reminds us that we gain strength, courage and confidence when we face fear, and that facing fear once helps us realize we can do it again. In my mind, she’s basically saying what Nike is saying: “Just do it.”

“There is freedom waiting for you, / On the breezes of the sky, / And you ask / “What if I fall?” / Oh but my darling, / What if you fly?” -Erin Hanson

Through this section of her poem, Hanson reminded me that failure is not the only possible outcome of releasing my writing to the world: Success is a possibility too. And in trying — regardless of whether it ends in a “success” or a “failure” — I can find freedom. I’ve learned that I can put my work out in the world and that it will find success in the right way and timing.

“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” -A. A. Milne / Winnie the Pooh

I’ve been told many times that I don’t give myself enough credit, and this iconic quote reminds me of that. It reminds me that I’m braver, stronger and smarter than I think. It reminds me I can do hard things and achieve great things.

“Go for good enough. Worrying is often triggered by wanting to make the perfect choice or by trying to maximize everything… If you try to have the best of everything, you’re likely to be paralyzed by indecision or dissatisfied with your choice.” -Alex Korb

In a world filled with perfectionists, one-upping and feeling a need to always be the best in everything, this quote lets me breathe for a minute. I appreciate how Korb says that “good enough” is also worth going for, and that the search for perfection will be endless and impossible.

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined.” -Henry David Thoreau

This quote is fairly simple, but it encourages me to follow my writing dreams. I feel like sometimes we’re told that our dreams are too big or that we’re too young to achieve them. We’re told to go to college then get a stable job. But not all dreams fit that lifestyle; not all successful people follow that path. Through this quote, Thoreau reminds me it’s okay to live the life I want, that the life I seek isn’t completely nonsensical or unworthy of pursuing.

“Don’t let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” -Babe Ruth

Ruth sums it all up nicely. At the end of the day, don’t let fear get in the way of doing and enjoying what you love. What you love entails a lot more than a couple common mistakes, just like a baseball game entails more than just a couple strikeouts.

Believe me, I know that the fear of inadequacy and failure are strong, and I’ve definitely dragged my feet when it comes to pitching to publications. But writing is about more than that: It’s also about engaging with creativity, engaging with what you love and engaging with other people.

If you’re scared of inadequacy, you’re like the rest of us. Don’t let that stop you from pursuing what you love and what you want to achieve. Your failures may even lead to greater successes.

Because just like my volleyball game, you can miss some points and still win the game, and a win isn’t enough for a perfectionist anyway.