“Anxiety is uncertainty multiplied by powerlessness.”
Some people insist everything is easy. “Just do it,” they say, “and the world will smile and good things will magically happen.” My immediate thought is, “Don’t you think I would if I could?” Powerlessness isn’t a matter of can or can’t – it’s a matter of I can’t right now. I’m missing something, and until I figure out what that is, I’m toast.
Am I anxious? Yes. Why? Because regardless of the quality of my writing, I feel powerless in properly conveying just how much I believe in it, the excitement I feel when the characters have life, and the feeling of satisfaction I get when all the notes play just right. Unless I figure it out, none of it will matter.
Maybe it’s all part of the advice not to trade what you want most for what you want most right now. I like that. But all too often people post inspirational quotes and seem to feel they’ve saved humanity or something. And maybe, for some, they have. For others, though, it’s like giving sweets to someone dying of thirst.
Ultimately, if it’s inspiration you’re after, you need just remember one thing: In the midst of uncertainty there is one cold, hard truth: you quit, you fail – guaranteed.
