“Why would everyone listen to me? I’m not anyone special.”
Do those words sound familiar? I can tell you, I’ve been there. I’ve had imposter syndrome come up to my eyeballs.
But you know what? I realized something. It’s not about helping the masses. That question, ‘why would everyone listen to me?’ It’s not about that. It’s about helping one person.
Do you know the story about the man who is walking across the beach, and sees the child picking up starfish? The beach is littered with thousands of them. This child picks up a starfish and throws it back in the ocean. Then picks up another one, and throws it back. After watching this child for a while, the man approaches and asks, “Why are you doing that? You know you’re not going to save every starfish, right? How is saving one going to make a difference to the others?”
The child, after thinking a moment, picks up another starfish and says, “It makes a difference to that one,” before throwing it back in the ocean.
So, the next time you wonder if your writing makes a difference, consider the starfish. It makes a difference to the next person who reads your book. You could change someone’s life with your stories, and the world needs them. Please don’t give up just because your brain, as fallible as it is, tries to tell you that you can’t make a difference.
If you have a story about how you’ve overcome imposter syndrome, please share in the comments below! The Picky Bookworm is all about building community and giving others encouragement when times get tough, so let’s celebrate those wins, even if they seem small!
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Until Next Time, Friends!
