I Am Holding Me Back- A Bitter Truth
I started writing on Medium some months back to remind myself of the many things I wanted to write about and improve my writing skills. It has been almost two years since I can confidently say I wrote something and completed it or posted it before writing on Medium, so I challenged myself to start. The initial plan was to write real-life experiences to test my creativity and storytelling skills, and to make at least two posts per month but who was I kidding? If an award for inconsistency was to be handed to anyone, then it would be given to me.
Aren’t I consistent in some areas of my life you may ask me- yes, I am, but not when it comes to writing. I enjoy writing more than I do talking but I find myself making silly drafts that end up staying in my folder without completion year in and year out.
In 2023, one of my goals was to improve my writing skills by taking up courses and implementing them by “writing”. I did a few courses, but did I finish all? No. I lost interest along the way and blamed it on my busy schedule in quote. I truly held myself back because my weekly phone stats showed me how much time I spent on social media whiling away my time. Yet, I claimed to have none.
Does this mean I didn’t develop myself at all in the previous year, absolutely not. I had some breakthroughs in adapting to my workplace because it was a new environment and role; which I will be sharing in my next post, but this post is about how I failed to achieve my writing goals due to my self-limitations.
I know some of you may be able to relate in a way to my rant in this post, but I do want to be better at finishing what I start. Perhaps there is some extra level of self-consciousness in the air, or the age I will be reaching soon, or the people I have around me doing the things they set their minds to do amidst all odds, or simply the New Year spirit- whatever it is, it is working in me as I type this at 12:38 am.
I decided to go back to the drawing board to see my errors in the past year and how I can improve on becoming better at consistency. With the help of a few books and articles I read, these are some of the points I garnered:
- Accept that you are the problem: as simple as this may seem, we sometimes find it difficult to admit to our wrongs. However, this is the first step to change; coming to a state of self-awareness and accepting your error. Doing this sets the pace for the next thing you do and the approach you take towards it.
- Do it uncomfortable: comfort many at times hinder us from achieving our goals. Even when it seems difficult to do, keep doing it. “When the going gets tough, the tough get going”- Joseph P. Kennedy
- Have a goal/target: a plan is different from a goal. A goal is more like the bigger picture, while a plan is the steps you take to achieve that bigger picture. Using the SMART Goal approach- Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound.
- Make a plan: don’t just make the plan, follow it through.
- Take baby steps: it could be daily, weekly, or biweekly- however you see fit within your capability at any given time. The bottom line is KEEP MOVING.
- Avoid distractions: this may sound cliche but it is what it is. You know those things that serve as a distraction to you; do everything you can to avoid them and if unavoidable, to limit them.
- Self-motivate yourself even if nothing seems motivating: the mind is a powerful place and it yields to whatever we feed it. Say to yourself every day, “I CAN DO IT”. Remind yourself of the reason you started in the first place, of the big picture you see before yourself.
- Imagine (delulu is the solulu): Do not limit your imagination as this is a crucial step in achieving your goal. There is a saying that the more you think about something, the more you begin to see it.
All of these are things I intend to do myself because as I said earlier, I need to become a better version of myself and step out of my self-limitations. I hope you can pick a thing or two from this write-up. Please let me know if you did.
Thank you for reading. Till next time.
Bye!
