Self-doubt is par for the course. We all doubt ourselves from time to time. Today however it’s worse. Why, because we now measure everything we do by likes and comments from friends – some we know well, many are just ‘friends’ on social media.
A like, a reaction, becomes our external grading feature. We have moved away from being able to assess how we are doing on a deep and very personal level. So much so that many days we might feel empty, not even perhaps realizing that we are reacting to a low like score from a recent post.
We have become sharers of pictures, of events, of accomplishments; occasionally we share something that is very private. We are driven by a need to belong, a need for inclusion and a need to be accepted and liked.
Too much out there, not enough internal connection. Many of us are so far adrift that we have lost connection with what is real for us and what really matters.
This is one of my favorite quotes and I have used it before in previous posts but I love it for the message. It is a quote from Martha Graham to Agnes de Mille:
“There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time. This expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost. The world will not have it.
It is not your business to determine how good it is, nor how valuable it is, nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open.
No artist is pleased…there is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer, divine dissatisfaction. A blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others.”
I believe that we are all artists. We are all creating something from nothing. Those thoughts, those ideas that we literally think are a dime a dozen have been given to us, to do what only we can do with it. This is not to say that similar ideas don’t exist. It is to say that similar ‘yous’ don’t exist. There is only one you and only you can bring that idea to life…like you.
Don’t let dissatisfaction thwart your efforts. Don’t let a lack of belief keep you tethered to fear. Don’t let outside voices and external noise block your efforts. Be aware of the urges that surface and act on them.
The bottom line: quit comparison and remember that while there is always enough – YOU ARE ALSO ENOUGH – as is, no apologies.
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