For writers and other creatives, it’s a tough task to gain the kind of self-acceptance that allows them to feel deserving of using their talent and reap the rewards of hard work and perseverance.

I used to have a cartoon tacked on my bulletin board, showing two caterpillars creeping along on the ground and a butterfly hovering above them. One caterpillar eyes the butterfly suspiciously, and says, “You’ll never catch me going up in one of those things!”

Maybe it isn’t what the cartoonist intended, but I see it as a metaphor for the sad state of self-regard. It’s so hard to feel worthy, both before and after achieving any kind of success.

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