Knowing Your Limits

So often, the talk that surrounds writing is about doing the work and extending your skill, craft, and abilities. Something freeing that I have discovered in the past year is knowing your limitations and working with them.

Are you able to do it all on your own, or is it better to work with a partner? Even though you dream of a high level of writing, is it better to realize, in this moment of time, you just don’t have that ability within you? Perhaps you are struggling with a story that is too far out of your grasp and you require help on it?

Sometimes, we need to accept the fact we can’t do it alone, even though our stubborn side refuses to listen.

Limits can go the other way as well. Sometimes, we set our bar to low, perhaps for easy money or because of a fear of failure. We need to be always willing to push ourselves into uncomfortable territory or what might seem an overwhelming situation, to prove to ourselves what we are capable of doing.

Limits are never static. They change as we change. They are a part of us. Identifying them can work to our advantage.