Self-Doubt is a crippler.

I don’t write anywhere near as much as I should, or could. I know I can, but I can never decide if I should.

I have a podcast, where I read my poetry and talk about whatever the lesson comes from said poem. And almost every time, this little voice shows up in my mind, asking, are you really an expert in this field? What could you possibly offer that hasn’t already been offered before? What could you possibly say that’s new?

I’m often reminded of a scene from the series Elementary (the American version of Sherlock) and Sherlock had just met the woman who would turn out to be his nemesis, Moriarty. She was working as an art restorer. An incredibly talented artist herself, Sherlock asked if she had any originals to which she responded “What could I add to all this?” She gestures the to all the paintings around her. “What could anyone?” she says.

I couldn’t even begin to tell you the train of thought that this birthed. But it added to the already considerable self-doubt that continually gnaws at me. Every day, I post a snippet of a poem on Instagram, and at the start of the week I post a lesson. And that lesson always seeks to motivate, or encourage. And I always seek to encourage people to try, to strive, to fight.

And one thing I eventually realised, is that there will never be too many poems, songs, movies, paintings in the world. The important thing, I think, is the ‘Why’ in the creation. If your ‘Why’ is to help people, then just create and let the creation live. See where it goes.

I will continue to battle my little demon of self-doubt and create as much as I can with what talents I have.

In the meantime, check out https://www.instagram.com/optimisticverse/