I’m overthinking…the perfectionist monster is consuming my creativity again.

I’ve sat at my desk for the last two hours typing and retyping different topics, templates, and bullet points only to realize…I’m doing it again.

I’ve raised the stakes on myself as if this first essay is the most important one I write. What if my post is crap and no one wants to read any more of my ideas?

I Stop.

If this was my first piano lesson, would anyone expect me to play Mozart? Why do I expect my first post on Ship30 to sound like Malcolm Gladwell?

Then I remembered something Dan Ariely said about how to make better decisions when your emotions are running high.

Ask: “What advice would you give someone else if they were going through the same thing you’re experiencing?”

ME: “Remember why you started this in the first place.”

• SELF: To participate in a community of like-minded people. To be less precious with my writing. To see if I could do it.

ME: “I noticed New York Times Bestseller was not on that list.”

• SELF: No need to be snarky. I just want to be good at this. It sucks to feel like you suck.

ME: “No one begins anything as an expert. You didn’t make a one-day commitment to writing online. You made a lifetime one. Don’t let a one-day or even a one-year hiccup throw you out of the ring.”

• SELF: You make a good point. This self-advising practice might be on to something!