|
Happy Friday! This is a weekend I'm sure ready to enjoy. One of my favorite pastimes is sitting down and watching Mixed Martial Arts, and I'm looking forward to UFC 251 tomorrow. Any other fans? My picks for the title fights are Masvidal by KO, Holloway by split decision, and Yan by KO.
My favorite UFC fighter is Tony Ferguson. He is known for his unusual training methods, and for the fact that is opponents tend to come out of their fights looking like they were in a plane crash. I recently heard an interview with Tony, and he said something that resonated a bit with me as a writer. He has a formula he tells himself in his training. To quote him, "Effort times consistency equals confidence." Now, on the surface, this might not make much sense. But the more you think about it, the more you realize this actually makes perfect sense and can be applied to almost any pursuit in life. How does it apply to writing? I doubt I am alone in the fact that I struggle with being confident in my work. Even if somebody reads it and tells me it's good, it's still a struggle. I think most writers encounter these issues, especially early on. I can't say I've overcome this entirely. Putting my first book out into the world for anyone to read in the spring is still mildly terrifying. But I've learned a lesson over the past few years, and I think Tony's quote ties it together nicely, "Effort times consistency equals confidence." It starts with effort, which is easy enough to understand. You have to sit down and work. Many writers quit before they ever begin writing because they see the task ahead of them as insurmountable. I'm not going to sugarcoat anything; it is difficult. But the only way to guarantee failure in any pursuit is never to start. The next part of the formula is consistency. If you are going to succeed, you need to be consistent. This can mean different things for different people. If it means writing down a schedule and following it, do it. If it means waking up every morning and writing before work, do it. As for the final part of the formula? I've found that when I put in the effort, and maintain consistency in my work, my confidence grows. Talking about my work becomes more comfortable. Handing it over to somebody to read is less intimidating. The more I follow the formula, the more my confidence grows. Do you have a saying or mindset that helps with your confidence? I'll be back next Friday with another blog. Until next time! ~Pete Follow me on social media! Instagram Youtube
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
RSS Feed