"If you want to be a good writer, the thing you need to do is write everyday.”
In my daily ritual of scrolling on Instagram, I came across a post with the quote above, which motivated me to get out my pen and paper to write this post.
Although writing is something I struggle with, writing a book has been a dream of mine for the last few years. In fact I am in the works of writing my first book. I bet you are wondering, how I am writing a book, if I struggle with writing. Allow me to explain. One of my learning disabilities is with written expression. Meaning, I have a hard time transferring my ideas from my head on to paper. It is was I have described to people in the past as a mental marathon. In school, it is one of the hurdles I had to jump over many times and it caused me great frustration.
There are some people who can write an essay in 24hours, I am envy their talent, because I need at least two weeks and time everyday to à work on a paper. I need to brain dump my ideas, organize them, do research to support my ideas etc. I have spent two hours typing a paragraph. Slowly over the years I have become self-conscious of my writing. The idea of submitting a paper and failing has
plagued my mind to the point that sometimes I doubt and underestimate my writing skills.
Many people don't realize that learning disabilities are connected with Mental Health issues. Individuals with learning disabilities are at a higher risk of developing mental health issues.
So how do I fight the inner critic that is trying to hold me back?
Just take a step and try- Having a learning disability is not an excuse to not be our best self in life. Regardless of what the challenge is we should make an effort to try and not shy away from a challenge. Our minds work and process information differently, but that does not mean we are incapable. Put your mind to it and you can achieve it.
Practice- What do Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, David Beckham, Wayne Gretzy and Kawhi Lenoard all have in common? No, it is not that they are top athletes in their sport. It is the fact that they spent hours practicing, improving and building their skills. We are living in a time of insta everything and quick results on our time. Do not believe the filters, we need to remember the reality is nothing happens overnight, it takes time and practice to develop, improve and master our skills.
Make a plan- Inconsistency does not produce results. The same way athletes need to practice on a daily, they have a training schedule. Not only setting time to practice but outline what they will work on in order to make the most of their time. We need to do the same, make a plan that creates a consistency of opportunities to practice by making a plan. Stay committed to practicing even if it's only ten minutes a day, eventually it will add up.
Its okay to do things in a different way- This is an important tip I remind myself on the daily. We are all built differently, and have ways to do things that are a benefit to us. We do not always need to follow the crowd..in fact we shouldn't, it is okay to make a new path and find your own way.
Mindfulness- The average person has over 20 thousand different thoughts a day, 70 percent are repeat thoughts and the majority are negative. We need to be aware and mindful of the thoughts we have especially about ourselves. That book, is not going to write itself the more I think of it. I had to come to a point where I need to face my learning disability head on and not allow it to hold me back from fulfilling my dream. Even if its thirty minutes a day, or if I commit to three pages a week I need to take that first step and try. Slowly and surely one page will turn into 20 pages eventually a completed book. The same will happen with you. It may be at something at school or at work, but do not let your learning challenge holding you back, there are #NoLearningLimits to what you can achieve. How do you overcome your learning challenges? Leave a comment and let me know.