"Five minutes each week that might change your life."
The book that launched Stephen King's career almost didn't exist… because he threw it in the trash.
In 1972, King wrote three pages of “Carrie” in a cold trailer laundry room, surrounded by cigarette smoke and exhaustion. He hated the idea. Didn’t connect with the character. Thought it was unrelatable, unsellable, and just plain bad.
So he crumpled the pages and tossed them.
The next day, his wife, Tabitha, found the discarded pages while emptying the trash. She fished them out, smoothed them out, and read them.
“You’ve got something here,” she said. “I really think you do.”
So King continued writing and submitted it to publishers.
After 30 rejections, King received a telegram in March 1973.
"CONGRATULATIONS. CARRIE OFFICIALLY A DOUBLEDAY BOOK. IS $2500 ADVANCE OKAY? THE FUTURE LIES AHEAD. LOVE, BILL."
A year later, the paperback rights to “Carrie” were sold for $400,000—and Stephen King’s career was launched.
Millions of copies, movie deals, global career…
All from three pages that almost stayed in the bottom of a landfill.
The idea and work were life-changing. But his brain convinced him they weren’t good enough.
That’s because that voice in your head is acting out of fear more often than it is out of honesty.
We talk about impostor syndrome like it’s a personality trait, but really, it’s just a lie you tell yourself. And worse, it’s a convenient one.
So instead of disqualifying your own work, ask yourself this:
“What brilliance have I already thrown away because I doubted myself?”
Give it one more pass.
You might be sitting on something remarkable.
See you Monday,
Mark
P.S. We all have that voice—the one that says you're not ready, not qualified, not enough. The tricky part? It sounds exactly like good judgment.
Impostor syndrome is a pattern, and it's one you can actually work through in therapy, instead of white-knuckling past it every time. BetterHelp matches you with a licensed therapist online, built around your life instead of demanding you rearrange it. Insurance options may also be available for eligible members.
The goal isn't to silence the doubt forever. It's to stop letting it make your decisions. Start working through it: Get 20% off your first month of therapy on BetterHelp.
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