Writing, Life lessons

You Will Destroy Yourself Emotionally If You Do Not Write

A gentle reminder that you are already as perfect as you need to be

“Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly.“ — Robert H. Schuller

When I was younger, I had such a lovely vivid imagination. We had a class in school called English composition. I loved the teacher, Miss Ruth. Her subject was my favorite and I was always topping the class.

All we got was a prompt and the number of words or pages you could use to craft your story.

I do not know how my young mind did it, but I always had a stellar story at the end of those sessions. I did not care about being perfect. I only wanted to express myself and bring the characters in my head to life.

Fast forward to today and I am a struggling writer. I can’t figure out how to get out of my own head. I am always trying to game the algorithm or write articles that have a greater chance of getting views.

I have lost my authenticity of writing from the heart and I desperately want it back.

Do you feel a bit stuck like me? Do you want to let go of your perfectionist mindset, and the constant need to be a perfect writer? Would you like to be able to advance in your writing with calm, peace, and content in your heart?

You can. And things don’t have to be perfect for that.

It Is Not About How Perfect Your Writing Is

“If you look for perfection, you’ll never be content.” — Leo Tolstoy

Over the past few days of self-reflection, I realized that I need to make it back.

Back to that place where my words flow straight from the heart onto the screen. I need to get back to that place where I write because I want to. I choose to. And so should any other aspiring writer like me.

I have discovered a strategy that might work.

It started with me realizing that this time, it is not my fear of feeling like I am not good enough. It is merely good old procrastination disguised as a need for perfection in my writing.

If you look for perfection, you will never be content. And as a writer, you get better the more you write. So the stark realization I made?

Just write!

“You are an author. Write.” — Matt Rudnitsky

That is your sole responsibility as a writer. So, remember this whenever you are held back by procrastination in the quest for perfection. It will save you emotional destruction. You are an author.

Write!

Embrace Your Imperfection — It Is Part Of Being Human

“However, don’t let perfectionism become an excuse for never getting started.” -Marilu Henner

I like this quote about not letting perfection become an excuse because it reminds me to overcome my fear of failure. At least in that moment.

We are human. We are all imperfect, and we all fail. Imperfection is actually a human gift. It allows us to live our lives to the fullest with a margin for mistakes — because we are imperfect.

In fact, more often than not, failure is a prerequisite to success.

The three gifts of imperfection, according to Brené Brown, are courage, compassion, and connection. Together, these three gifts will help you live a wholehearted life filled with happiness and self-acceptance.

“Have the courage to accept that you are not perfect, the compassion towards yourself when you fall short of your idea of perfection, and the connection with yourself and others to realize we are all the same.” — Elizabeth Kasujja

Today, I have accepted that I am not perfect and that should not hold me back from writing.

I hope this realization will help you, too.

How To Let Perfection Work For You, Not Against You

“The artist who aims at perfection in everything achieves it in nothing.” — Eugene Delacroix

We are on a journey.

Our journey requires us to act, to embrace our growth mindset, and to take action.

We know people who pine for the past, who bemoan the present, and who fear the future. We know people who would prefer to complain about the current situation than take action to make it better.

Do not be one of those people!

You must step up and make a difference.

You will never make a difference by doing nothing; you will never serve yourself or others through lack of thought, discipline, and action.

Choose to learn through experiences — even when the experiences are imperfect. Imperfection provides opportunities for growth and improvement.

When in doubt, be intentional and act.

Write. Edit. Publish. Repeat.

For the next 30 days, I am challenging myself to publish as often as I can in any number of words I am able to. Hopefully, I will have published 30 articles by 9 March 2022.

And now your thoughts…

Do you experience similar struggles as I do?

Or do you have a hack that you swear by that I could adopt to improve my chances of success?

Please share your experience in the comments section.

I wish you the very best of luck in all you do! If you choose to challenge yourself, please tag me so that I may celebrate with you.

Please consider signing up for Medium membership HERE to directly support my writing.

You may share this link with others who like to read up on love, life, relationships, and mental health. Thank you ❤ ❤ ❤

You may also enjoy reading these stories

Thank you for reading!