The life of a writer can be a tough one. It’s very up and down, always causing us to be inquisitive, questioning our abilities, passions, desires, and even our intuition.

Well, at least that has been my experience.

One day I’ll have all these ideas swirling around in my head, yet I cannot seem to catch one, pin it down, and write something meaningful about it. By the end of the day, staring at a blank page, I’ll decide that I suck at life, that I have no idea what I’m passionate about, and that I need to look for a new path because I suck at everything.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it has very quickly become a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Worse than Alexander’s, I dare say. And not over dramatic in the least.

The next day, I’ll typically force my way through the cobwebs of my mind, through the self doubt, and through the really loud voices that tell me I’m not worth my weight in salt. Somehow, some way, I will finally arrive at the beautiful, vast, grassy fields of my mind, not unlike the ones Julie Andrews sang about in The Sound of Music.

And from there, I will write. By some stroke of luck, I will write one good sentence.

“Oh,” I will think to myself, pleased at this small victory, “That wasn’t half bad!”

Miraculously, another good sentence will follow, tying the first sentence together quite nicely, until I have an entire paragraph that I’m pleased with.

Careful not to scare it away, I sit at my computer and type, blocking out the noises of the world around me, allowing for no interruptions until I’ve been able to capture all of the thoughts that seem to be flying in a delicate but intentional formation in my mind.

Thankfully, that blissful writing state happened to me last Sunday while I was writing something for a PR firm I’ve been freelancing for.

But for the days when things are just not flowing, no matter what I do – what then?

Alcohol. Obviously.

Ok, maybe not. It seems like a good idea when you take your first sip, but before you know it, dizziness ensues and you’re slurring your speech into the phone after drunk dialing someone you will almost certainly regret speaking to when your drunken haze lifts.

(For the record, that has never happened to me before. Never.)

So what can you do? Whether you are a writer or a manager or a business owner – it doesn’t matter. Sometimes our minds create limitations that are entirely false, holding us back from getting to the grassy fields where success lives. That can exist for everyone, no matter your field of work.

Here are 5 ways to break through the limitations of your mind and shut down your obnoxious mental critic:

1. Meditate. Listen, Houston, you need to shut that brain down because it’s over thinking. In my experience, over thinking can only lead to more over thinking, and I’m willing to bet it’s not going to lead to happy places. So shut her down. Tap into your third eye center, and try to find some peace and quiet.

2. Talk to yourself. Tell yourself nice things. “You’re awesome!” “You are the best writer/manager/entrepreneur/(insert-your-profession-here) in the world!” “You are tapped into the universe and you rock!” Whatever floats your boat, makes you smile, and boosts your confidence. Go ahead – let those compliments get to your head! And proceed from there.

3. Compare yourself – in a good way – to others who have risen from defeat to success. When I’m in a self deprecating mood, it helps to think of someone I admire who may be successful now, but wasn’t always this way. Like Jim Carrey and his infamous story about how he, a struggling comedian who hadn’t hit it big yet, drove his old Toyota up Mulholland drive and wrote himself a check for $10 million, dated for 5 years later. Where is that old Toyota now? I bet it’s probably not sitting in the driveway of his million dollar home. Or think of an athlete – perhaps an Olympian. Imagine all the work they had to put in to get where they are. Their talent may have been innate, but the work they had to put into cultivating and maintaining it was no joy ride! They had to work harder than most people ever would. You don’t just decide to be something and then ‘get it’ right away. You have to build up your expertise. It’s a delicate balance of practicing, learning, practicing, learning, repeat, repeat, repeat. Getting to the top of one mountain and then setting your sights on the next. Find a person who inspires you, who has defeated the odds and succeeded the way you want to succeed. Let their story be your compass during rough and calm seas.

4. Practice visualization. If you’re mind can see it, you can achieve it. So close your eyes and see yourself achieving that goal, that dream that you want so badly, that sentence you so desperately want to turn into a best selling book! See the praise in your audience’s eyes, looking at you adoringly and shouting, “Bravo! Bravo!” as they clap their hands with delight. Or something like that…

5. Shift your perspective. Like, physically shift it. Get up and go for a walk. Go for a run. Read. Cook. Watch a show. Whatever it is, do something completely different than what you are currently doing. This will help to jolt yourself into a new perspective. I’m reminded of something George Bernard Shaw said once about circumstances:

The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can’t find them, they make them.

So if you need a little help finding those perfect circumstances, but you’re stuck in negative head space that’s keeping you down: stop, drop, and roll yourself into something different, if only for 20 minutes. I promise it will help breathe new life into a perspective that will work much better for you and that crazy mind of yours.

Now break out that whip, give me your best wonder woman/superman stance, and show that mental critic whose boss!

Your crazy friend,
Lauren
xxx