Just a few more moves in Words With Friends and I’ll get started. I have plenty of time. Maybe a quick check-in on IG. I could really go for a mocha latte. I should scoop the cat litter and start a load of laundry and possibly clean out the fridge. Okay...focus. Blogpost, remember? You have to write a blogpost!
To the untrained eye, that inner monologue makes me look suspiciously like a world-class procrastinator. There was a time I’d have agreed with that assessment, beaten myself up, felt guilty and stressed, even sabotaged myself. You see, I believed I was a procrastinator. I gathered evidence to prove this to myself and to the world...over and over and over again. I allowed that to be my reality. And so, others came to believe it, too.
Then one day, after having gotten an ‘F’ on my nonexistent outline for an ‘A+’ paper in a writing course, I had a chat with my professor. I explained that I didn’t understand outlines. I couldn’t do them. I was flawed and possibly mentally challenged but that was just the way I was. I also told him that I couldn’t really “write” anything until the very last minute. Instead of rolling his eyes or scolding me, he shared these words that changed my life:
“You outline in your head. Written outlines are for people who cannot do that. You don’t need them. But please, for the sake of your grade, slap together an outline after you write your paper because it’s still required in this course.”
This was one of those divine AHA! moments for me. It took another human to reveal my blind spot. Had It not happened, I probably wouldn't be a working writer. That tiny shift - that one altered perception - allowed me to honestly confront myself and start doing my real work.
_________________________________________________
So what do you need to be a working singer? The key to any true success is not to overcome your quirks, it’s discovering and understanding them, learning to embrace them, and harnessing them as strengths to become the best you possibly can.
Now think about the things you discovered about yourself when you took our Singer Assessment with your bestie. You did take it already, right? Unlike me, you didn’t put it off on the outside chance that some random person would come along and enlighten you out of the blue. (Pro tip: it’s still there. Click the link anytime!) Take Assessment Here
What perceptions line up?
What surprised you the most?
Was there a discrepancy between your answers that hit a nerve or made you defensive?
If you said yes to that last question, that’s THE one thing you need to focus on first, the part of you you need to introduce yourself to quickly. Give it a big hug and ask it what you can do to support it. If you get to know and love it - learn to work with it instead of against it - it may just become your signature superpower.
_________________________________________________
What many people would call procrastination, I call percolation. Most of the work I do as a writer is done in my head before I ever find organization or commit to a particular sequence of words. It’s my process, how I operate. This is not bad or good...it just is. I could fight it - in fact I did for years. I could use it as an excuse to fail - been there, too. Or I can do what I do now: I work it!
I set and meet hard deadlines
I allow myself plenty of time and space to create in my head
I write every day
When I sit down to write, I trust that the right words are in there and ready to jump out
If I ever need an outline, I do it last
I embrace my unique process, and you should, too!
Next week we will talk about three little habits you can form to prepare for BIG success.
How can we help you become a SINGular success? Schedule a consultation with The Mona Lisa Life today and find out!
Kommentare