When Zack Robinson sat down to write music, he was stopped in his tracks by “crippling self-doubt”.
“I’d often scrap ideas I’d spent days (sometimes weeks) working on. And it reached a point where I simply wouldn’t show anyone anything I’d written,” he shares.
On LinkedIn, Zack’s an outspoken ghostwriter, adept with his words, so this revelation might be a surprise to his followers, but uninvited inner voices can silence even the most confident character. To move past the inability to create, Zack shares a piece of advice he received at the time that changed everything.
He was told to set a two minute timer whenever he sat down to write (and you can use this for anything, whether you’re painting, coding, building, or singing). Then, spend that time listening to all the thoughts that fill your mind, telling you you can’t do it.
Don’t think about the work you’re about to do or the deadline, says Zack, only the thoughts.
Focusing in like this helps you see how “ridiculous” these thoughts are, he says, and more than that, that you’re letting them interfere with the work you so want to create.
Rather than try to shut out negative thoughts next time they appear, sit with them and listen. Write them down, even, so you can see them for what they are: just thoughts, standing in the way of what you want.
Then let them go and get to work.
Thanks Zack for letting us share your story to help others ✨
