Am I the only person who wonders if their content is boring? Sometimes, I’m plagued with the thought that no matter what I put down in writing, it simply won’t be insightful, interesting or valuable. I worry that “it’s all been said and done before,” “someone has already pointed out it better” or “how I say it won’t mean anything to anyone else.” “There are a million blogs that relate to my topic, how can mine possibly make a difference?”
These thoughts keep me from getting my thoughts out more than I care to admit.
It’s easy to look at someone else’s work and say “that’s fantastic!” or “I love that idea!” To compare our thoughts to someone else’s and then deem our stuff “not good enough.”
How the heck do we get past that?
I don’t’ have all the answers (if you do… please comment below and save me!). However, I’ve come up with a few things that are helping.
I schedule the time to write and honor the time on my calendar. Taking the time to write is just as important as our client meetings, billing time, etc. It’s easy to let it slip by and find excuses to do it later. I’m working to treat my writing time like client time because it’s that important to me.
I tell my inner critic to shut up! I mean, mine is one ridiculously opinionated, sassy and mean chick. Seriously, I don’t talk to my friends and loved ones this way, why on earth am I doing it to myself? Shut up lady and get to work!
I have no predetermined plan for perfection. This one is hard. I want to know the “right way”. I want my thoughts to change the world and I want to get it right… the very first time. I want it so much sometimes it paralyzes me… “what if I sound snarky?”, “what if I don’t have the right amount of research?” “what if no one reads it?” “did I say that the right way?” “Did I include the appropriate number of keywords for search engine optimization?”.
I mean, come on Alex. Lighten up!
So there you have it, my current fixes for battling the boring blues. They got me through this post, and I bet they will get me through the next one.
I would LOVE to know what you do to get your thoughts out of your head and onto paper. Share below and help me…help all of us be better!
I’m Alexandra Rufatto-Perry M.A., CCC-SLP, the owner of Practically Speaking, LLC and I’m crazy passionate about helping leaders and speakers create clear, concise and compelling messages and stories.