‘Push through’

It’s hard to think that a writer whose books are as phenomenally popular as JK Rowling’s can ever have suffered from crippling doubts.

We have a tendency to think that those who have achieved success must have been so talented and confident that it came easily to them. However, time after time, real-life examples prove this wrong and Rowling is yet another one.

She spoke of wanting to write partly because she felt she had made “such a mess of my life”, but also that she had shied away from sharing her work because she was “extraordinarily insecure”. She also said that “you have to push through your lack of belief ”, explaining that this became easier with time and she had gradually lost her fear of failure.

There are life lessons in these words from one of the most wellknown people on the planet. Only a few people are destined for such fame, but many of us will have suffered because of lack of self-belief.

So the next time you find yourself giving up on something you want to happen more than anything else – as you tell yourself that “it couldn’t happen to me” – remember Rowling’s words and “push through”.