A writer writes, right?

For years I’d told myself this. I desired to be a dedicated, passionate writer, serving others with thought provoking prose that was easily understood, correct in syntax, punctuation, and grammar.  Material that held my readers’ interest, engaged, educated, and entertained them.

There was plenty of writing to do during my working years. Large narrative sections of funding applications and grant proposals, detailed instructions, or plan materials, and loads of marketing.

For years I repeated affirmations about being a good writer, but it wasn’t happening.    So, what was my problem?  Didn’t I truly believe it? Didn’t I practice enough? Was it a selfish dream? Was I better with deadlines? Did I lack talent or something relevant to say? I was frustrated, disappointed, and ticked off. And sometimes that is the best place for me to start to figure something out.

Starting with a review of my journals and was surprised to find that some of my entries had started trending negative. The more frustrated and disappointed I’d become, the more negative statements I had written. How it felt like pressure to come up with a subject to write about or what did I have to express that someone else hasn’t already, or maybe I just didn’t know what the hell I was doing?

Alarmingly, I had started to write about how it was hard to come up with a subject to write about or what could I possibly contribute. What subject do I know about that other authors haven’t already written about a hundred times? Who was I to think I could even pull this off? I was judging myself. No wonder I couldn’t manifest what I wanted, because I was negating all the positivity with negativity. My struggle was self-inflicted.

As a person who believes that I create my life with my thoughts, why was it so easy to believe in the negative rather than the positive? This is when I learned about negative bias.

Studies have found that there is an increase in the electrical activity of our brain when focusing on negative stimuli compared to positive stimuli. This is in our genes and can be traced back to prehistoric times when man had to be on high alert to avoid dangerous situations. It was a tool to help keep them safe.

In general, we tend to remember traumatic experiences better than positive ones, think negative thoughts more frequently than positive thoughts or recall insults better than praise. Negative bias influences our decisions and motivations. Studies have shown that negative information is perceived to be more truthful than positive information. We are wired to focus more on the negatives than the positives. You get the drift.

Learning about negative bias was a game changer for me. My affirmations and journal notes became more positive and focused. I no longer judge myself if I occasionally trend toward negative bias, because now I know it’s natural and temporary. Plus, there are methods to combat it, like paying attention to my own self-talk or reframing situations in a more positive light.

I have learned to explore a negative thought, assess its validity, and let it go if it doesn’t serve me. Sometimes I shortcut the whole process and just do something I enjoy like listening to music, reading or daydreaming. My favorite feel good visual is mini ponies. I can’t think of a cute little mini pony without smiling. It’s an instant mood lifter for me.

This writer writes…Right on!