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Standing Ovation from Your Inner Critic? Don’t Keep the Good Stuff for Later
Yes, that piece of writing, this music, that choreographic sequence, this idea! For once your inner critic stood up and clapped! But then you think that your work is not yet known enough for you to “waste” this stroke of genius. So you consider saving it for a later piece. Don’t!
The good news is, you were able to produce work you are proud of. The even better news is that there is more where it came from.
Holding on to good work can be tempting but after the boost in your confidence, you are sending your brain — and your inner critic — a signal of scarcity, i.e. “I might not be able to do something as good for a while”. Instead of developing trust in your abilities, you do exactly the opposite and what could have been a turning point in your practice, is now crushing that trust in yourself.
This is not how creativity works. The more you practise, the better you get. The more you develop expertise, the more original ideas and new connections will form in your mind.
This little gem you came up with has its place here and now. In all likelihood, if you were to hold on to it, it would become outdated by the time you thought it would find its way into the world.
Its time is now!