It isn’t always easy. Good things (and the demands and attention they bring) can be as anxiety-producing as failures. Especially for those of us with insecurities and control issues and a damaged sense of self-worth. I’ve seen fellow writers experiencing success sabotage their careers—and themselves—in a desperate attempt to exert control over something that was happening that they felt like they had no power over. It’s surprisingly common—writers self-sabotage with substance abuse, or with failure to do the work, or by making absolute asses of themselves to colleagues, editors, fans. We over-internalize criticism and we fly our careers into mountainsides unintentionally, because we are so busy fussing over the controls that we don’t notice the honking great rock in the way.
Great advice for all entrepreneurs actually. Thanks for the reminder.