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Not everyone will understand your journey. That’s fine. It’s not their journey to make sense of. It’s yours.

Zero Dean

Author | Photographer | CG Artist | Filmmaker

Making what you’re inspired to make

Sometimes I get really inspired by the amazing & creative things I see shared online. It makes me want to try to share creative things as well. But then I sometimes hear a voice in my head that says, “What’s the point of even trying? You’ll never produce anything as good as that.” or “You’re so less skilled and so far behind everyone else, why even start?”

The reason I share this is to let you know that if you sometimes battle with a voice like that, you’re not alone. And while I hear the voice more often than I’d like to — and it sometimes slows me down — I refuse to let it deter me from ultimately doing what I want to do.

And you shouldn’t either. Even if you feel behind. And even if you feel like you’re bad at what it is you want to do. Everyone has to start somewhere.

Part of living life to the fullest means making what you’re inspired to make simply because you were inspired to make it.

There is a sense of satisfaction that comes with being able to look at something and say, “I made this.” But you’ll never hear yourself say it if you listen to the voice that stops you from starting. So stop listening to that voice and start listening to the one that says, “Do it anyway.” And realize, even if your goal is to share what you create, you’re not really doing it for others. You’re doing it for you.

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Define the problem

People have a nasty tendency to live with problems that they don’t take the time to define. It’s almost as if by refusing to acknowledge the source of a problem, they believe they can get away with not doing anything about it. And that’s how small issues often become big problems.

If you’re unhappy, unhealthy, unfulfilled, or unsatisfied — and it isn’t clear why — stop avoiding the problem by refusing to define it.

Labels are limits

While labels can be targets to strive for, more often than not, labels are limits. People define the boundaries of their lives and what they are capable of achieving by the labels they give themselves and those they choose to conform to their lives to.

Before you apply a label to any aspect of your life, make sure you’re not adopting it as a means to excuse yourself from personal growth, working on yourself, or doing as much as you are capable of doing in life.

You can get through this

Always keep in mind that no matter what you’re dealing with now, now is not forever. Repeat that. Now is not forever. Your life will change. Your feelings will change. Your attitude will change. And your circumstances will change.

Whatever you are dealing with now, hang in there and do whatever is necessary to manage this minute, this hour, or this day in as healthy & productive a way as possible and you will see that things will change.

Now is not forever – now is just a passing moment in your life. You can get through this.

When it works for others, but not for you…

Just because something works for someone else doesn’t mean that it will work for you – but if it doesn’t, it doesn’t mean that you should stop seeking something that will.

Don’t let your lack of results be an excuse for a lack of effort. Your life is your responsibility.

When something that works for others doesn’t work for you, it’s your responsibility to keep trying new things until you find something that will.

Broken vs unsolved

When a person learns to recognize the difference between something that’s actually broken and something that is simply unassembled or unsolved, the manner and attitude with which they approach that thing can have a dramatic impact on its outcome.

If you’ve ever referred to yourself or someone else as broken, understand that the same concept applies.

The situation sucks

Yes, the situation you’re struggling with sucks. But answer this question:

Are you going to let it stop you?

If the answer is no, great! But then that raises another question:

If you’re not going to let your current circumstances stop you, what are you doing beating yourself up and making yourself feel miserable when you could be pushing forward and working on overcoming whatever it is you are struggling with?