He just got a six-figure book deal.
She self-published her latest book and hit the top 100 in the first week.
He just signed with my dream agent.
Her book is going to auction.
Remember when we were in grade school and our teachers told us to keep our eyes on our own papers?
This was to discourage cheating, obviously.
But what if we peeked at our neighbor's paper and the answers on the sheet weren't for us?
For instance, what if the teacher was sneaky and passed out different versions of the test? Then my "true" for question three might be your "false."
Or what if I didn't have the right answer at all, and you began to second-guess your correct answer, changing it at the very last minute?
One of the fastest ways to become discouraged in the creative world is to compare ourselves with others. And it doesn't even have to be their "successes," because I've read some amazing books that never got the attention they deserve, closing that book wishing I was half the writer/storyteller he or she was.
There's a big difference, though, in using someone's success to motivate us and in stealing a glance at their paper and making changes to our own work when we may not even be looking at the right information.
The former is okay.
The latter? Not so much.
Trust your gifts. Trust your skills. Trust your instincts. Trust that today's work will be better than yesterday's. Trust your own path and your own growth.
My test is different from yours. Your test is different from his. Sneaking a peek isn't likely to help. In fact, it might do more damage in the long run.
Be Brilliant!
~Katie~
