It’s Okay To Fail

“Nothing great will ever be achieved without great men, and men are great only if they are determined to be so.” 
― Charles de Gaulle

I’m not as great as I think I am.

I know that, of course, but I forget sometimes. I’m not great. I’ll always know I’m not perfect, but I’m not great either.

When I remember this and realize what a pretentious fool I am, my self-esteem swings over to the other extreme, but-

I’m not as bad as I think I am either.

I want to be great. I want to get better in my craft. I don’t want to be sidetracked by my delusions of grandeur, nor depressed by my realizations of worthlessness. I want to get at the writing without all of this piling up on me.

I want to tell myself every day, before I start writing:  “You aren’t great. That’s why it’s okay to fail.” Because, when I think I am great I need to be great or perfect or marvelous or whatever. I get hung up over the details. I stop writing because I’m done, I’m great, I don’t need to get better.

And when I think I’m awful, I don’t even want to try. Why on earth should I? I’ll never be great. So-

It’s okay to fail.

Perfect is a myth. Failure is human – it means you’re on the right track.

It’s okay to fail.

You’re not as great as you think you are.

And that’s fine.

Because you’re getting there.

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I See You’ve Put Your Pen Down…

Because it’s hard. Because you’re busy. Because the words don’t come to you, because you’ll never be good enough, because you’re a worthless, hopeless, loser. I want you to pick it up again, physically or mentally. Pick up the pen, Right Now.

You don’t have to write. Just hold it in your hand and feel it for a second. Remember what it was that got you hooked on writing, that made you want to write more. Remember the rush.

Now feel the fire start in your belly. Feel the burning behind your eyes, feel the full force of your emotions. The beating of your heart, the clenching of your soul. The tightening of your fist as your dreams weigh down on you.

You want to write.

Don’t you dare put that pen back down. You are a fighter. The words come to you through a haze of pain, they bleed from your fingertips and scratch across your brain. Is it worth it? Are your dreams worth this?

Yes.

If you want to be good at this – if you want to make words dance for you, jump across the page and set themselves on fire for you, you’ve got to pay them in blood and tears and sweat.

You’ve got to sit down and write.

And you will.

Rowan S. R. is an author-creature at The Writing Corp. To read more of its writing, check back here or hop on over to Rowan S.R’s blog.