Do You Trust Yourself?
The prompt for this edition is Trust. I got this one-word prompt from walking by one of those free libraries that people put on their front lawns (love those things!).
The title on one of the spines of the books was The Little Teal Book of Trust by sales teacher Jeffrey Gitomer. I have read bits of his other books but did not pick this one up as I got what I needed from the title.
Trust is important in sales and relationships, but it’s even more important when doing your Most Creative Work.
Why is Trust So Important to Our Creative Work?
Trust is everything. Because when I fall out of trust with myself I start acting in funny ways. To not trust means you are doubting, and doubt comes from fear.
The fear that you are doing the wrong thing, the fear that it’s not going to work out. The fear that you will go broke and die alone just by opening your music software to work on some music.
Trust has a sibling which is faith, and these two are from the Love camp. If we are able to fill ourselves with love, we can start to be generous with our gifts. We are happy to share them with the world. That could be making art, starting a business or teaching your craft.
When you’re full of love you are not concerned with the smallest details of getting your work out there and finding your audience. Instagram grids, logos and colour schemes all nag at us at times when they are not the most important thing.
Because when you’re full of love, you are most concerned with making the art happen.
Trust takes a long time to create, but it can be broken in a heartbeat. You’ve seen it happen in your dealings with others. However, the challenge for creatives is to not let setbacks break your trust in yourself and your work.
That means when you share your work and no one (seems to) listen, you will do your best to be unphased. If you get some negative comments on your work, it’s not going to drag you down (for very long).
How You Get Back on Track After You Fall
Trust in your work is rebuilt by revisiting your goals. They are often found in notes from years ago. I keep seeing the same things every time I open my notebook. While goals are a whole can of worms for another day, when done right they really should light you up.
Then just by taking off a small corner of one of these goals or dreams, and sitting down to do the work, you can build evidence that you know how to get this done. One of the only ways I am able to sit down to do work is by going on Focusmate. For 30 minutes or an hour I am able to get back on track.
I never used Etsy, but I always loved the word Regretsy which refers to things that people buy on there on impulse. Do your best to not have regretsy about the years that have passed as you got distracted with other projects and priorities. It’s ok.
Trust in yourself that your message needs to be heard, that you need to be seen and that you have all the skills for making it happen.
Reflect
How do you act when you fall out of trust with your Most Creative Work?
Is it sometimes ok to not trust yourself and your work?
Do you remember a time when you stopped trusting your inner voice?
How can you rebuild trust in areas that haven’t been working well lately?
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