I am full of big ideas. I easily come up with things that I really want to do but then I often struggle to follow through on making them happen. Then I get all discouraged and feel like a failure.
- What’s wrong with me?
- Why can’t I manage to do what I really wanted to do?
...
But…
I am changing.
Mostly I’m changing the questions.
Instead of asking what’s wrong with me, I try to notice what is working or not working about the system or methods I’m using.
Now I ask:
- Is this working?
- What is working about it?
- What is not working?
- How can I tweak the process to make it work better?
Might be a subtle shift, but it’s working!
See what I did there?
I notice that I don’t get so down on myself about failing.
Instead of wallowing in that murky mess of guilt or failure, I can objectively examine what’s working or not working and figure out how to make it better.
It’s no longer about my worth.
It is simply about finding what works.
Which might take experimentation.
Try stuff out.
Because anything worth doing is worth trying stuff out; right?
Kaye! Thank you! I love this post. It's a reminder to be kind to ourselves, even our writing selves. Thank you! I needed this, today.
ReplyDeleteYou are most welcome. Thank YOU for taking time to comment; I so much appreciate your affirmation. And yes, this little shift is making such a difference for me and my self-worth. AND I think for my productivity as well.
DeleteIt seems like a small thing to ask what's not working and how can I fix it, but it really does make a huge difference in how you feel about your work. I'm glad you figured this out and are benefitting from it.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Krista. Somehow I missed seeing this comment earlier. I really appreciate you taking the time to read and comment here - and so much more! You have been helpful to me in so many ways. You are amazing!
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