Kia ora whānau — it is me.
Apologies for the MIA. I haven’t posted in almost 3 months and believe me, there hasn’t been a single weekend that I haven’t thought about it. It’s been an unfortunate cycle of disappointment and inaction, knowing that I should be posting but never actually doing so.
I’d say 80% of it comes down to a lack of will and motivation to sit down and write anything. It’s pretty shitty to admit, but there really is no excuse for it.
✍️ Writer’s Block
The remaining 20% is what I thought was writer’s block. Writer’s block is basically like fog in your brain that limits your creativity. Of the few times I managed to sit myself down and attempt to write, I produced exactly nothing.
I cannot explain the frustration and confusion that I experienced during this process, sitting down with an idea, spending half an hour with genuinely nothing to show for it. The amount of mental energy I would exert just to produce a few words is honestly surprising.
How did I find it so easy before?
⛰️ High Standards
High standards are generally a good thing in life. By holding ourselves accountable to these standards, we make a meaningful exchange—trusting that today’s effort will lead to a better tomorrow. Although they provide us with a basis for producing great work, it can also be to our detriment. When standards become too high, rather than directing our actions, they might inhibit them.
In the journey of writing this newsletter, I’ve learned more and more about how I want to express myself and communicate with the world. In doing so I created certain standards for what I produced. This is all well and good, right? What I want to put out is something that I will be proud of.
As much as I felt that it was the writers block that clouded my writing, an equally important factor was I simply couldn’t accept anything that I did manage to put down.
💭 Reflections
In the pursuit of expressing yourself, whether it’s through writing, filming, creating, or even other ventures like building a business or playing sport, it’s important to recognise the point at which your standards are beginning to limit your output.
The first prerequisite to achieving anything meaningful is to actually take action.
If you’re facing something similar, where you feel like all the stars need to align for you to finally take action, try giving yourself permission to create something poor, even if it pains you to watch. It is for the same reason that you are able to read this right now. 🥳
Just Something To Consider.
Thank you for reading.