I often write about creative success and self-expression satisfaction.
So I thought it might be fun to write about the opposite for a change.
How to undermine your creative strides and insure that you do not enjoy expressing yourself.
Maybe there is something to learn in the opposite message. Let’s find out!
Doubt yourself.
Be a pessimist.
Set unrealistic goals.
Put a lot of pressure on yourself.
Believe there is never enough time.
Seek continuous external validation.
Overdo it on reality checks.
Practice self-abuse.
Don’t learn anything new.
Be cynical.
Never practice.
Expect yourself to be an expert overnight.
Don’t enjoy each day.
Scatter your energy so much you can’t succeed at any one thing.
Envy the successes of others.
Drink a lot of alcohol and/or do a lot of drugs.
Ignore inspiration and your instincts.
Believe no one wants what you have to express.
Care too much about how the house looks.
Never sit down and focus.
Constantly compare yourself to others.
Don’t get enough sleep.
Let others dictate your choices.
Put your creativity last on your priority list.
Cling to your negative expectations.
Blame others, the marketplace, the economy, and the world for your plight.
Don’t celebrate small positive strides.
Hang out with emotionally needy people.
Make parenthood your go-to excuse for not making time for what you love.
Always paint yourself as the victim.
Talk about what you want to do instead of actually doing it.
Focus on being discovered.
Expect overnight success and quit if you don’t get it.
Tell yourself you’d be better off with a “real job.”
Socialize constantly.
Don’t have creative goals.
Tell yourself that normal people are not artists.
Focus on getting sympathy for all your disappointments.
Eat garbage and drink soda until you wreck your health.
Believe that only “talented” people succeed.
Make friends with a lot of demanding, dramatic people.
Try to go from zero to hero in one sitting.
Be responsible for everyone else’s happiness, except your own.
Believe everything your parents and the world have taught you.
Spend most of your time swapping favors with others instead of creating.
Be hard on yourself, especially when you make a mistake.
Focus on pleasing others with your work instead of pleasing yourself.
Surround yourself with “realists.”
Spend too much time on social media.
Make yourself feel badly for dreaming of a life you enjoy.
Be defensive and un-coachable.
Forget that you are in charge of your choices.
Distrust yourself and any ideas that come from within.
Dismiss your deepest desires instead of slowly building a life you love.
It’s a brutal list. But sometimes we don’t realize what we do to ourselves until someone points it out plainly.
Do you recognize any of your beliefs in this list?
If so, explore the opposite idea. Could you begin to believe the opposite is true?
You’ll find more encouragement for success in all of my books, articles, posts, and online courses.
If you really feel stuck, and you need help finding your positives, I am available for phone coaching by appointment.
You can also check out my new gentle, encouraging goal-setting course in my online school. All of my online courses are self-paced, so you can fit them into your busy schedule.
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