I’m not ready.
I’m not good enough.
That’s not my book to write.
That book’s already been written.
What if they hate it?
I’m scared.

Sound familiar?

Never fear (sorry). I’ve got the solution! Two of them actually.

Photo by Powderruns

Photo by Powderruns

1. Shut up

No one’s ever ready.

Sure, sometimes we look ready. Reality check: it’s called the brave face.

We’re all afraid. We’re all unsure. We’re all making it up as we go.

Join us. We won’t bite. Too hard.

2. Keep going

Your buddy fear likes to think he’s in charge of your life. Of course, he’s not. Show him who’s in control by doing the exact opposite of what he wants you to do.

If you’re afraid someone’s going to laugh at your work, share it with someone. (If you post it here in the comments, the promise not to bite too hard stands).

If you’re afraid of rejection, hit submit.

Put on your brave face and take care of business.

No one’s going to believe in your work if you don’t believe in it yourself. If you don’t believe in it yourself, you don’t believe in yourself and fear wins.

Fear wins all too often and it’s just not fair. Besides, who really wants to admit they’ve lost to fear?

So, whatever you do, don’t stop writing!

The world needs your story. We need your story. It’s too good to remain untold, unshared. Don’t let fear win.

What is fear stopping you from doing?

PRACTICE

Write that piece you’re afraid to write. Post it (or a portion of it) in the comments and comment on a few other practices.

Katie Axelson is a writer, editor, and blogger who's seeking to live a story worth telling. You can find her blogging, tweeting, and facebook-ing.

10
Share to...