Not every post here has to be a novel nor does it have to be Pulitzer-winning material. I need to remind myself of this… and frequently, it would seem. I start writing things and delete them because they aren’t thought out well or my writing is scatter-brained.
It’s a chronic problem that I have, it’s my way of procrastinating. Instead of just doing it and letting the chips fall where they may, I analyze it and then over-analyze it until I’ve wasted sufficient time that the moment has passed. This problem doesn’t only apply to writing, I do it with a lot of things… come to think of it, I do it in many areas of my life where I’m afraid to take a step into a large or difficult task. I plan and analyze and often don’t get around to executing the plan and accomplishing that which I originally wanted to do.
Why is this? Introspection on this matter leads me to wonder if it’s because I’m generally afraid to fail.
Now, I think that a lot of people might just stop there when they’re getting introspective. But that ain’t me, as I’m telling you… I’m an over-analyzer. (And a procrastinator, don’t forget.) So I ask myself, ‘why am I afraid to fail or even produce something that is not good?’ [note that I never use the term ‘good’ because I feel that it’s over-used and ambiguous so to do it here is me trying to make progress] What is it about producing something in any form that is sub-standard that turns me off?
Is it evidence that I am sub-standard? Is it proof that I am deeply flawed? Will people think of me differently by seeing the crappy fruits of my labor?
My feeling… my realization is that I have to accept that, regardless of what I do, my efforts are always going to be less than perfect in my own eyes and probably in the eyes of those around me. However, I am always doing and producing things that people see whether I am aware of it or not. I am always being judged and need to become comfortable with that. It’s my own imperfection that needs to drive me to be better and stronger rather than hinder or prevent me from moving forward and growing.
Like that Featured Image up there… I took that photo on my iPhone and then edited it on my iPhone. It’s probably utter shite but it’s my utter shite. I’m just putting it out there and let it be what it is.
Not perfect. Probably crap. But it’s mine. And I love it.
Analysis paralysis, as they say! Love the honesty, and we’ve all been there; midway through a post and wondering where we’re going with it and if it makes any sense to anyone, ourselves included. When this happens, it’s usually because I’m trying to say too much in one long, heady post. Sometimes I’ll carve it up, condensing it into small but focused individual blog posts. Then I’ll choose one that is focused enough to sound decent and post it just to get it off my desktop. Not a perfect process but writing about personal things never is 🙂
Thanks! I put this together in about 30-40
minutes and didn’t really do too much editing. I wanted to get it out there rather than mull over it too much.