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confidence
November 2009 
When do you feel the most self-confident?
Posted on Nov 3rd, 2009
by 
Jamilah
Jamilah
This is in Response to the Questions and Reflections for November 03, 2009:
When I write. No one can judge me because my mistakes are not visible to anyone except me. Without going into specifics, I have made a few glaring errors in my first drafts, some that would embarrass me terribly if people knew. But they don't and they never will. First drafts are practice sessions. I put the story into words and it's there, alive and real. Once it exists I can do whatever I want to make it more interesting, more presentable, more vibrant. And by the time someone does read my story, it is ripe and ready for public consumption.
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Jamilah - I love what you said about first drafts being practice sessions. Often, in life, we have to practice a few times at something before we find the place that makes it our best effort, whether that be writing, or showing kindness to strangers, or whatever our own personal challenge might be. The next time I find myself admonishing myself for not quite hitting the mark, maybe I'll be able to remember your words, and tell myself that it was just practice for the next time. With practice, we get better and better.