Self-talk can hurt you or help you. It’s up to you.

“Take a good, hard look at what you’re afraid of – and then tell yourself you’re bigger and badder than all that mess.” 

Angie Papple Johnston

You just got a rejection from an editor. What words are swirling around in your head? 

You just received an irate call from a client about a project you turned in. What message is bouncing around in your skull? 

Every marketing phone call you’ve made has resulted, not in a “Yes, we’d like to see sample of your work” or even “Not right now but try us again in a few months” but some version of “Absolutely not and don’t let the door hit your butt on the way out!” 

And your office echoes with “failure, failure, failure!”

And you are afraid. Really, really afraid. 

You’ve heard all the dire predictions about this industry and you’re afraid they are all coming true right now. 

If you’re a young (in age or experience) writer, you’re afraid that those who are older or with better credits will snap up all the available work. 

And if you are an older (in age or experience) writer, you are afraid that younger ones will sneak past you, because they are willing to work for less or have fresher degrees or a newer viewpoint. 

All your fears find their voice and they are all talking very, very loudly inside your head until all you can hear are messages about failure. 

Piece of advice from someone who has been there:Tell them to shut up. 

Tell them that, no matter how loudly they talk, you can positive-talk even louder. 

Tell them that, regardless of what setbacks have just occurred, you have had successes in the past and will have success in the future and really, you don’t have time to listen to all their negativity because you are working — you are writing, dammit! — and they need to go talk to someone else because you aren’t listening. 

Then stop listening and start writing.