Have you ever had days when your mind feels like it's racing? Nothing really coherent, just thinking a million things at once? You pine for a moment of silence, but the screams of all of your issues just won’t shut the hell up for even a second. This is a dilemma I'm currently experiencing, and as a writer, it’s a gift and a curse.

On one hand, you have a million ideas you want to expand upon. There are so many choices, it’s overwhelming. You plan and outline, but then you get sidetracked by another idea, and then another, and then another. The snowball becomes so huge that it drags down all of your progress and becomes a block. The block lasts for days, dragging on to the point that you don’t even know what you want to cover. You question if you even want to write anymore. If I have this much anxiety over one project, how are the rest going to fare? Which bleeds into the next issue of imposter syndrome.

Ahh, the lingering stigma of not having the confidence needed to move to the next step. Pigeon-holing yourself into believing this isn’t for you. You use procrastination as an excuse not to try. You know you have the talent and the ability, but your crippling anxiety continues to pull you back. You feel hopeless in a cycle of having an idea, but never seeing it through to fruition. Wash, rinse, repeat.

This has been my constant struggle in trying to break through. Which is why I find myself starting over before I begin. I know I need to get through this in order to achieve what I need to, but the question is how. How do I find that breakthrough? What do I need to do to shatter this glass ceiling that I’ve built? Why can’t I shake the stigma of imposter syndrome? The answer to all these questions is simpler than asked.

You try. You put it out there, regardless of whether it’s ready or not. You show your work instead of relying on being perfect. You make mistakes and learn along the way, accepting the criticism and using it as fuel for the craft. You build confidence as you continue, not second-guessing actions and topics. You just put your fingers to the keys (or pen to paper), and you write. You do exactly what you know you need to do. Will every project be a home run? Absolutely not. Hell, I’m not certain how well this one will do, but trying is better than regretting.

I’m learning this as I go along, and honestly, what led to my hiatus. I overwhelmed myself instead of just writing in the moment. I tried doing too much too soon and burnt myself out unintentionally. Instead of fostering creativity, I was fostering anxiety. I was creating my own writer’s block.

If you take anything away from this, just write. Even if it’s bad. You never truly know what you have until you show your work. And who knows, you may reach more heights than you expected from something you believed would’ve failed.