Mar 22
Do You Fear Your Goals?
The cycle of self-doubt and procrastination and how to escape it.
How long have you had that goal listed in your diary, marked on your digital calendar, or written in bold letters on your vision board?
How many times have you attempted to take the first step towards it but haven’t? Or take the first step and quit the next day?
This has been the story for me with writing. I have picked up my pen and put it to the paper far more times than I can count on my fingers and toes put together. Also, the dream and the effort started when most of us would write on paper with a pen, way before the digital era.
As an engineer, I was taught to always identify the problem statement. Solutions begin with identifying problems.
What Was Stopping Me?
Self-doubt: Am I good enough? Will I ever write anything worth reading?
There was a voice in the back of my head pulling me back from making the first move. It wasn’t constant but it was persistent, more than my actions towards fulfilling my dreams.
“Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” ― Suzy Kassem
My fear of never achieving my dream of becoming a writer was growing every single day I wasn’t writing.
Procrastination: I always found a reason to push my writing to another day, week, month, or even a year due to another “priority” at hand.
I have pushed deadlines I set for myself due to college deadlines, office work, social life, being too tired due to everything else going on in life, being heartbroken, not heartbroken (too happy to feel any emotions to write), writer’s block, writing as a goal causing me stress, writing not being fun anymore, etc.
These are just the reasons at the top of my head. I am sure many of you can relate and add so many more to this list of other “priorities”.
Yes, we do. Or let’s not assume everyone else here is like me. I make so many excuses for myself.
Honestly, I have done this for so long that writing started feeling like this heavy burden on my soul. A thing I couldn’t ever achieve, a place I could never reach. Don't get me wrong. I have been writing a few articles/ poems a year but never stuck to it longer than a few months.
What Am I Doing To Tackle This?
Identify challenges:
As an engineer, I was taught to always identify the problem statement. Solutions begin with identifying problems.
One of my biggest challenges was not having the right time to write. I am not a seasoned writer. So for me, writing takes effort and discipline. Sometimes I sit down and words just flow but most times I have to plan, research and execute.
I made a list of what makes writing challenging for me. You can read about it in my article here and let me know if any of these ring a bell for you.
Overcome Challenges:
For example, to deal with my challenge of not producing enough articles per week, I updated my task to write for 30- 60 minutes every day.
I made a plan to tackle one challenge at a time. Attempting to eliminate all challenges would lead me to focus more on the problem and less on why I am trying to solve them.
For example, to deal with my challenge of not producing enough articles per week, I updated my task to put in 30 minutes of writing every day. Changing the way I approached my goal made it less mentally taxing which made me more productive.
I have another article here listing my way of tackling challenges in writing. I’d love to know how you are dealing with the challenges and solutions that worked out for you.
In Summary
If you fear your goals, you are not alone.
It is not your fear that defines you, it is what you do despite it.
If you have a dream that has been lingering at the back of your head, the time to take the first step is NOW. Make a plan, then make a move. It may not be perfect but it will still be something.
I hope you could relate to this article as a fellow dreamer and/ or writer and share some tips on how you handle your challenges.
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