Day #2 in A Year of Positivity

“Doubt kills dreams faster than failure ever will.”
– Suzy Kassem

To me, this is a pretty powerful quote, because I think we all have a little self-doubt in our lives.

I’m a published author (fiction), though sometimes I am my worst critic. I’m always getting compliments with my writing. Many people have told me I have “such a way with words,” but my brain doesn’t think so. I’m always wondering things like, “Is my writing honestly good enough?” or, “Oh, everyone’s going to think I’m stupid for writing this!”

My self-doubt even drove me to a point of quitting on my writing dream altogether. In the last 10 years, 3 relationships I’ve encountered weren’t supportive of my writing dreams, and even one ex had gotten into my head that I’d never amount to anything with my writing. Needless to say, I was devastated, and I’d never felt more depressed in my life.

It wasn’t until I left a relationship (the one that made me feel like I would never amount to anything with my writing) that I realized this person didn’t have a say in my dreams. The only person who has a say in my dreams is ME. So, I got back into writing, and it reminded me why I loved writing so much. Still, self-doubt of whether I’d be good enough to publish was always on the back burner of my mind. It took the tragic event of my mother’s passing for me to realize that life is short, and then I took that leap of faith forward. Before I knew it, my debut novel Broken became published!

I say all this, because it goes to show that self-doubt isn’t the only thing that can kill dreams. People you love can also be just as critical as you are to yourself. Your self-doubt with reaching your dreams will thrive off any and all negativity from everyone around you. If you have any self-doubt about your skills and goals in reaching your dreams, let me be the first person to tell you this: follow your heart and don’t let you or anyone doubt your abilities!

It’s okay to fall, and it’s okay to fail, but stand up again and reach for the stars!
You can do it. You’ve got this! I have faith in you, my darlings.