Day 2: Your Turn Challenge - The what

Day 2: Tell us about something that’s important to you

For my second entry in the Your Turn Challenge I'd like to talk to you about resistance.

Most of the people I work with, people that are in a creative industry, face resistance every day. Here are some examples: Our ideas are too "out there" for a mainstream audience; they'll never amount to much. (Who will ever even read that novel?) We should just get a real job and stop pretending that what we do is worth someone's hard earned money. (Why would someone pay to read anything that you write?) Someone else does it better, has more experience, does it cheaper, does it quicker, etc. (You're self-published? Oh.)

Add that to the voice in your head telling you that you're an impostor, that it's only a matter of time before people discover the truth and tell everyone else... and that's some pretty strong resistance to the idea that you can achieve your dreams.

But what I'd like to propose is that those frustrating, depressing thoughts that make you want to give up... they're not resisting you, you're resisting them. The pressure you feel as you talk yourself into sitting down to write again today is a direct result of you not taking that bullshit, you refusing to believe the people who want you to quit. By not giving up, YOU are resisting, pushing through, pushing back against all of the naysayers. They're just standing there. You're the one in motion.

Don't listen to the bad talk and the people who tell you you can't do what you have set out to do. If you don't know something that you need to know, learn it. Find someone who does know and who will help you. Surround yourself with cheerleaders and people who will help you solve the practical problems rather than just pointing out that they exist. If you don't know anyone else who will support you, e-mail me! I would love to cheer you on to your dreams.

Be the resistance. Fight back. Make your art. Tell your story. Find your voice.