I love, love, love your model – because you really can see how it applies to everything. Even writing! On that note, I had some feedback and a question:

First, Feedback – You have a writer on here who has an interesting thought. “I was thinking of other professions and I don’t think painters dread painting, golfers dread golfing, or speakers dread speaking.” As a writer myself for many years … and speaker… and lots of things… who know many people in these fields … this “dread” (which many call “resistance”) DOES show up for myself and others. Regularly. It’s like you say Brooke… “50% of the time, you’re going to feel like ass”. Well, when you’re doing creative work, 50% of the time you’re going to feel resistance. (And then when you shame yourself for feeling resistance – whammo – you’re just compounding your negative feelings). If you keep thinking that thought “I have to feel 100% awesome about writing to write” or “I can’t feel dread/resistance and write” – then you’ll never write. It’s about writing during the 50% of the time you feel great – and writing during the 50% of the time you feel resistance. And when you get THAT thought, you’ll stop doing endless models (as a way to buffer from doing the work) and you’ll start working. Just my 2 cents.

Second – My Question: Can you use other people’s books as replacement thoughts? As ways to find new thoughts – or back-up better thoughts? A non-fiction book is really a compilation of beliefs/thoughts about a subject from 1 person – so I wonder if you can either use books as a way to FIND new thoughts to believe (on purpose) – or as a way to support the new beliefs you want to believe? If so, I was thinking that your writer might want to bolster the “50% of the time I will feel resistance – but I can still write WITH resistance” thought by reading “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield and “Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert. (Oh yes – and you MUST listen to her Big Magic Podcast, too. A-Mazing for us creative folks or anyone bringing new stuff into the world). Because keeping the thought “Others must feel zero dread – and if I’m feeling dread, something is wrong and I can’t write” simply keeps you stuck until you feel zero dread (good luck) – when most writers and creative people create WITH some level of dread/resistance. And THESE amazing writers have a great belief system around writing/creative work that fits with exactly what you teach, Brooke.

In fact, a better thought might be … “My Dread is Telling Me I’m on the Right Path” – because, as Steven Pressfield said “Are you paralyzed with fear? That’s a good sign. Fear is good. Like self-doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do. Remember one rule of thumb: the more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it.”

Anyway – as a creative person, reading/hearing the thoughts/beliefs of successful people I admired helped me create a belief pattern that helps me create. So I’m wondering if this might also help your writer. We creative people must stick together. 😉

Thanks, Brooke!

P.S. I promise this isn’t a case of “Writers Can’t Suffer – so I Don’t Suffer”. But writing is my passion – so I enjoy helping other writers. Hmmm… Maybe THAT’S my niche. Helping writers overcome writer’s block. Hmmm…