So, if 2018 was a tough year for your creative work, it might be hard to trust yourself enough to “go for it” in 2019.
Maybe you failed to finish your book… again. Or your screenplay is still a mostly-empty document on your laptop. Maybe your promising exhibit tanked, or your performance got awful reviews, or you’re STILL doing “commercial” work that’s safe–while your real creative dreams languish unfulfilled.
Maybe you’re telling yourself you’re not good enough, not disciplined enough, not talented or connected or hard-working enough… or you can’t do it because you have a family, you don’t have enough time or money, you have too many responsibilities, you’re too old…
The fact is, these stories are NOT the truth.
You CAN reach your creative goals.
In part 1 of this series, I talk about why. (Check it out here if you missed it.)
Now I want to talk about why, even if you’re feeling bad about yourself and your creative work, you MUST give it your all in 2019.
(Mostly I don’t believe in “should”s. But we’re talking about your soul’s imperative here.)
Why you MUST do it
Why? Because how long will you let yourself suffer? It feels horrible to go on, month after month, year after year, decade after decade, with your dreams never happening.
You feel awful about yourself. You know on the outside you look successful, but inside you feel anything but. You feel ashamed when you think about how long it’s been and all you haven’t done. At college reunions, you either feel embarrassed when talking to people who’ve really gone for it… or you feel like an imposter because despite your outward success, you know you haven’t achieved what you really want.
Why? Because the truth is, if you’re miserable about your creative work, your misery is poisoning your marriage, your parenting, your friendships, and whatever you do for money.
You think you can push it down and be a good wife, mother, husband, father, employee, friend… but your frustration leaks out. You get irritated at small things. You’re depressed and emotionally unavailable. Even though you try to be your best self (and you do!), you’re stewing in your own dissatisfaction, and you’re missing so many small moments of love and beauty. (And often, you don’t even know you’re missing them.)
Why? Because what else are you going to do? Give up and continue to feel this way your whole life? You know even if you give up, it will still eat at you deep down.
(You’ve actually given up before—either consciously or unconsciously. There have been long stretches where you let it go because you just couldn’t do it. But here you are, still wanting, still feeling bad that you don’t have it, right?)
So there are only two choices: Try, or give up. And giving up just means more of the same. So all you can do is try.
So will you? Will you finally make this the year you break through?
The year you do the creative work you’ve been longing to do. The year you write the novel you really want to write. The year you finish the screenplay. Get an agent. Sell your work at top dollar. Break through. The year you stop being the “best kept secret” and start being who you really could be.
Will you do it for yourself?
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P.S. Stay tuned for part 3, where I talk about exactly how you can reach those long-desired creative goals in 2019.
(But, if you’re champing at the bit, skip the wait and email me to talk about how we can get your creative career going NOW.)
