My brilliant brother worked for an hour to bring my beloved Natasha back to the world of internet and communication (for some reason she wanted to live under a rock) and now I can bring you all a post on this lovely Christmas Eve.

This applies to more than just your writing. Thoughts like, "I'm so ugly" "I'll never be good enough" and "No one likes me" are very big fears. Why should we hide them? 

I say embrace them. Embrace the fear, embrace the doubt. Embrace the hurt and embrace the flaws. They're all true to some extent, after all. We shouldn't hide from the truth. 

And then ask why. These are big issues here. We need to properly confront them. If you're getting hunted by an angry rooster, it won't go away if you run and put the barn between you and it. It's still there in the barn, and you're going to have a difficult time thinking about anything else, for fear that it creeps up on you and flogs you. Sure, it might forget about you for a while, but it's still there so the problem still remains.

"We get the point. Where are you going with this?"

Let me give you an example.

"I'm so ugly."

I'm sure this is a thought we can all relate to. We've all looked at ourselves in the mirror and disliked what we saw. So rather than just shoving that aside and saying, "No, don't think that. It's not true," just stop for a second. Look in the mirror and really let yourself think that thought that's usually just a little nag in the back of your mind, a nasty whisper in your ear.

"I'm so ugly."

Look at yourself. Why are you saying that? On what grounds has this fear taken hold? Do you really think that, or is it just a fear? And if you really think that, why? What part of yourself do you think is ugly, and why do you think those parts are ugly?

I'll use another little example. I have freckles. Lots of them. They cover my face and arms and legs. My skin is also a little reddish, to top that all off. And that's really a big insecurity for me. I always used to think my freckles were so ugly, and I would write my characters as having "pale faces" because in my little mind, pale and clear skin was beautiful skin.

Why did I think that? I'm not really sure. But we have a way of seeing something that's completely opposite of what we are and thinking it's beautiful--and since it's the complete opposite of what we are, that must make us ugly, right?

See, look at this progress. We've let ourselves think this thought and given it the recognition it was probably cowering from. Because when you recognize it, sometimes that's really all it takes to realize how stupid it is. Once confronted with the truth, lies have a way of crumbling and collapsing. Ugly truths are harder to overcome and get peace with.

Don't be cautious to think. Be cautious to hide from the questions and thoughts and fears. 

Well, I totally went on a rambling rant. (this post actually started out on a completely different subject oops) I hope this might have helped some of you in some small way. And that it, you know, makes sense. *sometimes doesn't actually make sense oops oh well*

What are some thoughts and fears you struggle with? How do you overcome them?