Imposter syndrome. It might as well be the devil himself. I have suffered a lot from imposter syndrome during my creative journey. I have doubted my writing skills, felt my creative expression wasn’t good enough, and feared what people would think about my writing.

Over the last decade, I have written hundreds of personal development articles. And you know what? Maybe only 50 of them have been published. What happened to the rest? They’re sitting on an old HP PC that won’t turn on anymore. The dinosaur PC did not prevent me from publishing, however; my lack of confidence did.

Think about the lost opportunities from not publishing your creative work. First, not publishing stifles your creative growth and relationship with inspiration. If you’re not publishing, then why would inspiration want to flow to you? Inspiration will soon realize you’re a dud and move on to someone else.

Second, if you don’t publish, how could you ever have a chance at success? You can’t - it’s a guaranteed failure. At least if you publish, the odds are in your favor for succeeding, or at least 50/50.

(By the way, what is “success” for a creative? Is it producing or publishing something? Is it your audience sending you emails of love, appreciation, and sweet nothings about your work? Is it a certain sum of money (or any money)? Is it fame? Or, is it the continuous creative journey in itself? I think you should define what success is for you.)

Lastly, and probably the worst of them, not publishing leaves you hanging in the balances wondering what if.

What if…someone liked it?

What if…your artwork saved someone’s life?

What if…your book sold a million copies?

What if…your creative expression landed that dream job? Or allowed you to become a full time creative entrepreneur?

You will never know unless you publish.

Imposter syndrome is a nasty devil. You can beat the devil back to hell. I have faith in you. Here is my best advice to help:

• Recognize where you are in your creative journey. Are you a beginner? A dabbler? Or have you been creating and publishing for a few years? Accepting and standing in your truth opens pathways to solutions.

• Let go of perfectionism and just publish. You’ll never know what lands with your audience unless you consistently publish. What you think is garbage is someone else’s gold. Get your work to the marketplace; don’t hem and haw over it.

• It’s all been created. There’s nothing new under the sun. All the “great” creatives out there do the same thing you do: research, try, and apply over and over and over again. You will sound, write, or paint just like your creative aspiration until one day you don’t. And it’s in that one thousandth try when your unique voice surfaces, which is only a slight variation of something else.

• Instead of focusing on making your mark, work to make a difference for one person. The pressure is on when you’re trying to be the best. You will judge yourself and your work. You will be arrogant, anxious, stressed, and frustrated when the focus is on making your mark. When you change your focus to the other, and intend to be in service and make a difference for someone, the pressure and blocks release. You’re in giving mode rather than gaining. Inspiration gets behind givers.

I challenge you to publish today. Trust your inspiration and flow with it. Let go of the need to create a masterpiece. Honor your relationship with inspiration by listening, creating, and publishing.