Are you feeling stuck or frustrated in reaching your writing goals? Like you’re hitting the same brick wall, but you can’t seem to identify what that brick wall is?
Today I’m going to look at 2 things many people don’t stop to think about, yet have a profound impact on reaching your goals.
Your mind can work for you or against you because your subconscious mind believes everything you tell it, without question. It accepts whatever you say, true or not. (For more on mind principles, read this post.)
What Is Mind-set?
Many writers are now 5 days into NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). I hope they are telling themselves “I am writing 50,000 words this month.” Because if you say “I’m going to try to write 50,000,” then your brain is going to find every little excuse to keep you from putting your butt in the chair to write.
Merriam-Webster’s Online Collegiate Dictionary defines mind-set as “a mental attitude or inclination.”
What is your mental attitude toward your writing? Stop and ask yourself that question right now because it’s that mental attitude that affects your success.
Have you determined (set your mind) to become a successful author? What does success look like for you? You need to know that so, (1) you can envision yourself already successful, and (2) your mind can find ways to reach that goal. Your mind-set directly impacts your commitment to your goal.
Another level to mind-set is your core beliefs.
How Our Beliefs Affect Our Achievement
As a freelance editor and writer, I enjoy a small degree of success. It pays most, but not all, of the bills, and I have to supplement my income in other ways.
For years, I’ve asked myself “Why do I always struggle with being prosperous?” I quoted Bible verses about prosperity on a regular basis, but nothing seemed to change. Until last month.
I discovered:
- That I believed I could never be prosperous.
- That I believed God was incapable of making me prosperous (despite that His Word promises otherwise. See Psalm 1:3 and Deuteronomy 8:18).
It might have seemed like quoting verses on prosperity didn’t help, but they did. Isaiah 55:11 states that God’s Word never returns void; it accomplishes what it was meant for. God’s Word on prosperity helped root out my false beliefs, and they will continue to carry me forward.
It is essential to identify what you believe because “we behave and act not according to the truth, but the truth as we believe it to be,” and “we will not allow ourselves to be unlike ourselves” (from Making Your Mind Magnificent).
I believed I could never be prosperous, so all my actions kept me in line with living paycheck to paycheck. I had my best year ever last year, but “we will not allow ourselves to be unlike ourselves” kicked in, and my actions have made this year one of my worst.
Tim Grahl in Book Launch Blueprint states that the #1 key to a successful book launch is that “the author believes that buying their book is actually a good thing for people to do” (emphasis mine).
What we believe impacts everything we do!
The Bible Told Us First
Research on the brain has led to the development of the mind principles I’m talking about here. But these principles were in the Bible long before science proved them.
Proverbs 23:7 states, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” The mind believes what we tell it, and we act according to what we believe.
Mark 11:24 says, “Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.” Note that it says “have received.” That’s the past tense. It’s telling you to believe you have already received it.
How to Create Change
If you haven’t been successful in your writing in ways you think you should be, set aside some time to think about why.
- Ask yourself questions about your struggles,
- examine your mind-set, and
- seek out any false beliefs.
I regularly ask God to reveal any false beliefs I hold. Many of the things we believe we came to believe during our childhood. We believe they are true, but God, who knows all things and is Truth itself, can and will reveal things to us. All we have to do is ask!
Our mind-set and our beliefs can and need to work together to create the change/success we want in our lives. Do you have beliefs that are working against you?
I highly recommend Steven Campbell’s book Making Your Mind Magnificent. Understanding how the mind works both for and against you will help you make positive changes in your life.
Related posts:
“Are you undermining your motivation to write? Change your self-talk.”
“Writing Affirmations That Help You Reach Your Goals”
“Use Mind Principles to Succeed at Your Resolutions”
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