"Laugh at yourself, but don't ever aim your doubt at yourself.
Be bold. When you embark for strange places,
don't leave any of yourself safely on shore.
Have the nerve to go into unexplored territory."
~Alan Alda
I'll open a shop.... when I'm ready.
But I need all the best tools to be good at what I do!
I just don't have the time.
And... worse of all....
I'm not good enough.
These are just a few examples of the lies we tell ourselves, the lies which hamper our creative souls and which shut the doors to opportunity, excitement and revelation! But I get it...I totally get it, because these are all lies I've told myself and, worse, convinced myself were true! I'm looking at you "there's no way anyone cares what you have to say" voice in my head! I shake my fist at you!
While it's important to be honest with ourselves about our goals, aspirations and, yes, even our talents, it's equally important to believe we are better than the opinions we have of ourselves. The two are not mutually exclusive. Honesty and self-realization harmonizes beautifully with, and balances, a desire to be our personal best!
And recognizing that fear is not only an essential part of the human psyche, but also an amazing motivator, is the first step in recovering from the belief in the lies we tell ourselves. We may never be "ready", we may never have the best creative toys at our disposal, we may never have the time, but we are always good enough and we are always capable enough and we are always, always the embodiment of a creative soul worthy of a voice and an audience. Let your freak flags fly, let your imperfections capture the truths of your own imperfect but beautiful soul, and definitely give a middle finger to self-doubt!
We've got this. We've totally got this.
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