I got caught in the writer’s block trap, thinking my writing had to sound like a scholar wrote it. This halted every bit of progress I made over the years. But something peculiar happened this morning, and I’m so grateful it did.
After opening my eyes and staring at the ceiling in bed, I rolled over and grabbed my notebook and my new writing gadget.
I had prepped the night before what I’d tackle in the morning because when the idea or direction isn’t there, I’ll stare into space wondering what to write. But this morning, I was ready.
I typed away until the words stopped flowing, so I did what any normal person would do: go back to the beginning and read what I wrote.
This is when the peculiar thing happened.
Two seconds before I read the first word, my mind flashed a question:
“What if it’s not as good as…”
Before the thought could finish itself, my inner voice took over.
“It doesn’t matter what anyone else wrote. I wrote this, and it’s more than good enough. It’s 100% me.”
I smiled and started reading my words with a new perspective. I was no longer comparing my writing to other writers in my head. I was appreciating the words that were being reflected back to me on the small screen.
I was in awe that my fingers had typed those combinations of words. No longer was I obsessing over the typos or the grammar. I finally allowed the words to do what they were meant to do: inspire.
Maybe it’s the new writing gadget that’s helping the words flow without the distraction of notifications. Maybe the gadget will be forgotten in a few weeks once the excitement of the new thing wears off. But maybe it won’t.
There’s never just one way to view things, and that’s what I’m constantly learning through observations, conversations, and reflections.
I got trapped into thinking writer’s block was a real thing without acknowledging the fact that I journal almost daily.
I do understand one very important thing now: what I write and publish should be just as raw and unfiltered as my journal entries.
That realization is the key that unlocked the trap I believed was real for way too long.
Because of the world we live in, most people will automatically assume that AI wrote this. But from experience, AI never quite gets what I want to say exactly how I want to say it. So instead of trying to train something else to sound like me, my focus is on training my brain to realize that there are no traps that can hold me if I don’t allow it.
And I will never allow limitations to be something I savor.
So the trap isn’t real. It never was. I simply stopped believing I was worthy enough and allowed doubt to stop me from doing something I love.
There’s always a lesson about self-trust in everything I do. This time was no different.
The moment I stopped doubting myself was the moment the trap disappeared.
Is this the lesson I must keep learning in life?
