The Elephant House

Do you ever feel like you are in over your head and start to look at 'the greats' in your area of work and think that there's no way I can do what they are doing or what they have already done? I believe that many people face this wall that they beat themselves up against, but it is time to tell self-doubt, "No more."

I was in Edinburgh, Scotland recently and I visited The Elephant House where J.K. Rowling spent a lot of time writing her Harry Potter novels. I was in awe sitting there, sipping my tea, looking out the window at the breathtaking Edinburgh Castle and thinking that there is no way I can accomplish something as great as J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series.

There are a few things wrong with this thought. First of all, with these thoughts, I am completely limiting myself and not even giving myself a chance for greatness. Shoot far and wide, dream larger, believe in yourself to create and accomplish greatness and you will go far. When you limit your dreams and aim small, you will most likely create and accomplish little. This is a mind game. Believe in yourself! As cliche as that sounds, it must be done in order to get what you want out of this life. As you broaden your scope and shoot farther, I guarantee you will go farther.

Secondly, I realize that no good will come from comparing myself to J. K. Rowling. I have not yet written enough to know what I am capable of and here I am again, limiting myself. Why could I not write something great that people love? I am going to shift my mindset and begin to think that I can create something beautiful, compelling and addicting for readers.

Thirdly, whatever it is you decide to do and make in this world, it is going to be a beautiful thing and you must enjoy the time spent doing it. If you are doing something that you love, then why not have fun with it? Work your ass off and show up every day, but relish in the fact that you get to do what you love; that's an incredible thing.

As I sat in that cafe in the magical land of Scotland, I also thought, “I don't live anywhere that is this beautiful, so how am I supposed to be inspired while I am writing back home? How can I achieve greatness without this backdrop?” Well, yes, it's true that I don't live in a place with that kind of beauty, but I can find my own nook, my own backdrop to get inspired by. I don't have to limit myself here either. I have begun to do my writing out in the yard under the willow tree where I can see the Blue Ridge mountains, horses and a creek. I also love writing in a local coffee shop in town that is called Local Lion. No, there isn't a magnificent view here of a castle, but it is filled with people from the town I live in, they play great music and they have killer coffee. My point is that there are always places to go to be inspired and to create, you just have to find the place that works for you. Try out a few spots and see what speaks to you. Let me know if there are options I need to be exploring.