In Others' Words: Mistakes

"The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one." ~Elbert Hubbard, American writer

Here's your dose of reality for today: You're going to make a mistake.

Mistakes happen — and some of them will be yours. Now deal with that truth and move on.

As a writer, sometimes I'm paralyzed by the idea of not getting a scene or a chapter right. I stare at the computer screen, hands resting on my keyboard … and I've got nothing. The words rolling around in my head aren't worth spilling out into a Word document. The dialogue is stilted. The storyworld nonexistent. The interaction is b-o-r-i-n-g.

But I have to push past all my writer worries and write something. If I don't, then fear wins.

You know what else? I've made mistakes as a mom, as a wife, as a friend. And I haven't resigned from life. I've asked forgiveness — but I haven't quit. Oh, sure, I've thought about quitting, but only when I've let fear rule the day.

Mistakes happen. Now that we've got that settled, let's get on with the rest of the day.

In Your Words: How do you push past the fear of making a mistake?

 

 

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