I was stuck. I'd made it to the halfway point of my new novel, but I then put it off for a few weeks because I was at a key point in the project and I didn't want to get it wrong. As a form of procrastination I started reading, "The Creative Act" by Rick Ruben (the famous music producer and all around creative genius).
Ha! Reading another book wasn't a waste of time. Instead it contained just what I needed to hear. I want to share what I learned with the hope it helps you, too.
Lower the stakes. Think of a project you're procrastinating as just a stepping stone project to lessen the pressure. Have fun with it and enjoy the process.
Accept that it's normal to feel fear, but press on anyway. If we really don't want to do something maybe the desire to do it isn't greater than the fear—and it should be when it's right.
You do you. Develop your own voice, embrace it, and use it. Nobody is you and that's your superpower. To put it another way, don't compare yourself or your work to others. * After I wrote this I watched an interview with Will Farrell who said he asked his father for advice at the start of his career and his father told him a lot of success is about luck so if you don't make it there's no shame in quitting. Will said that was like a weight being lifted off his shoulders. Now he could go out and have fun—whatever happens, happens. That, he realized, was the key to his success—not being afraid to fail.
