Writing a book is hard, right..?
The writing itself is one thing, but keeping a positive mindset, believing in yourself, and your work, can actually be the biggest struggle writers face.
Believe me, I get it!
So many authors suffer from:
👉 Imposter...
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You've all heard the saying 'familiarity breeds contempt', but I am here to tell you there is another, very important, way to consider familiarity – and that is how it can help you achieve your goal of becoming a published author.
There are plenty of catch phrases and sayings about how you need to 'get out of your comfort zone' and the like, but in my opinion those sayings, while holding some truth, are completely back to front.
In fact, what you need to do is avoid being out of your comfort zone at all costs.
I hear you, and you think that's really bad advice, right?
Well it's actually not, so long as your comfort zone is where you need to be.
So, what do I mean by all that?
What I mean is, once you realise your brain is hard-wired to embrace what is familiar and resist what is unfamiliar, the importance of staying within your comfort zone becomes a lot clearer.
But what if your already in your comfort zone and not achieving your goals?
Well, that's when you need to start considering creating new comfort zones. Now I don't mean living on the edge where things feel new and scary, but creating new comfort zones that feel familiar.
Let me explain it like this...
Do you remember back in lesson three when we talked about the importance of self-praise and how by making praise familiar it would help us actually believe it when people paid you a compliment?
This is the same ideology.
You see, our brains are hard-wired to ensure we make decisions that remain within the realm of the familiar. That is why so many of us repeat patterns of behaviour that are detrimental despite so desperately wanting to change.
This is a residual need, stamped into our DNA from our primitive ancestors who risked death if they dared to do something unfamiliar like wandering away from their tribe.
Being alone out in the prehistoric world was extremely dangerous, and so, as we have already learned, our brain is hard-wired to keep us alive, and that means sticking to what feels familiar.
You see, your brain doesn't realise the world has changed, that it's safe to try new things, to change your behaviour, and live whatever life you choose without the risk of dying as a result.
Your brain is programmed to keep you safe, and as such, is hard-wired to keep you doing what is familiar on the premise that what is familiar is safe.
What your brain doesn't realise - and here's the catch - is that whatever feels familiar to you, isn't necessarily good for you – or even safe.
For example, let's say you were unfortunate enough to have a father who was abusive toward your mother while you were growing up.
