“If You Want to Keep a Secret, First You Must Hide it From Yourself”
A lesson from Orwell’s ‘1984’
The title of this story is a quote from the book 1984. While it’s a dystopian novel about the abuse of power, this single quote gave me another idea.
The book is also an exploration of the self — what we’re capable of, and what happens to us, when we’re under extreme circumstances.
If you want to keep a secret, first you must hide it from yourself
This quote made me think a lot about achievement and goal-setting. I know, if you’ve read 1984, you probably didn’t have goal-setting on your radar, but stay with me…
There are truths we tell ourselves (especially writers and creators), that have a direct effect on our ability to practice our best work.
I see these daily.
I get emails from new creators, all wanting to build a new life, and they all have the desire and drive — but these folks share a common problem. Each of these creators is stuck.
They don’t know how to start.
The inability to start can be paralyzing. And it’s all related to the secrets we tell ourselves.
- I’m not good enough
