FEAR….
This four-letter word has an intensive impact on us.
It just freezes you in your tracks especially if you decide to do something that isn’t that ‘conventional’ just like:
creating content
writing online
becoming a solo traveler
I’ve also felt the weight of this fear firsthand.
I know how paralyzing it can be.
Let me share one incident!
When I was putting my first content piece online, I remember it took me 2 hours to do a task that now takes me no more than 10 minutes.
Do you know why?
Because I was scared — scared like hell.
Every click, every edit, every moment spent staring at the ‘publish’ button felt like a mountain I had to climb.
But I climbed that mountain. And, honestly, it was all worth it.
You can find out here why.
Now, the next challenge that I faced one year ago was — How Do I Start Writing Online?
Although I worked in a book publishing company and had a hand in over 900 books directly or indirectly.
But still, I couldn’t save myself from falling into the trap of this self-doubt.
I think I decided to write online in May 2023.
This decision was purely based on instinct like the other decisions.
I was figuring out the HOW & WHY of this online writing world.
I watched tons of YouTube videos, and I remember watching Hudson Rennie's video about Medium.
Finally, after a lot of brainstorming, I decided that I’d start my writing journey on Medium.
The platform was decided, but my mind started playing tricks with me.
How would I write?
What topics would I cover?
How do I format my post?
How would I monetize my writing?
How would I convince people to read what I’m writing?
How would I make my own space on a platform that has millions of writers already?
These questions are driving me crazy.
I’d go to my office, thinking — Should I do it or not?
It took me 15 days to convince myself to put my first writing piece online.
Here are the 3 hacks that helped me do that:
1. The ‘Worst Case Scenario’ Trick
I’m sure you must have heard about this trick.
Let’s revise it!
First, think about the worst thing that could happen if you start writing online.
Maybe no one will read your words.
Maybe someone might say something mean about what you wrote.
Or, maybe you make some technical, grammatical, or linguistic errors.
Once you think about these scary things, ask yourself:
Is it really that bad?
Most of the time, you’ll find out that even if the worst thing happens, it’s not as awful as you thought.
Did no one read your post?: That’s okay, you can try again.
Did someone say something mean? That says more about them than about you.
Did you make a mistake? Everyone does sometimes.
When you look at your fears this way, they start to feel smaller.
Remember: Fear shrinks when you decide to face it.
2. The FLS Method
Whatever little or more I’m able to achieve in my life it’s because of this method.
FLS stands for — Fail, Learn, Succeed.
It’s a simple idea.
You try something. It doesn’t work. That’s failing.
When you fail, you look at what went wrong. You think about why it didn’t work. This is learning.
Then you try again. You use what you learned. You do better this time. Maybe you even get it right. That’s succeeding.
With writing online, it works like this:
You write something. Not many people read it. That’s a fail. But don’t stop.
Think about why people didn’t read it.
➡Was the topic boring?
➡Was the title unclear?
➡Were you writing about random stuff?
This is learning. You’re improving in this phase.
Next time, you pick a better topic. You write a clearer title.
Consequently, more people will read your post which means you’re starting to succeed.
When you see that traction, you’re more likely to stick to your writing and gradually that fear will vanish.
Remember: Smart people learn from failures. Successful people keep going after failures.
3. The 100-Piece Promise
The last hack is called the 100-Piece Promise.
It’s a promise you make to yourself to write and share 100 content pieces online without the fear of being judged.
These 100 content pieces can be short-form or long-form.
Why does this work?
I’ll tell you the reason —
your first few pieces might not be great, but by the time you get to number 100, you’ll have had so much practice that writing will feel easy and natural.
Another cool thing about the 100-Piece Promise is that it takes the pressure off each individual thing you write.
If you’re only planning to write one thing, you might feel like it has to be perfect.
But when you’re aiming for 100, each one doesn’t have to be amazing.
Some will be good, some might not be so good, and that’s OK!
The important thing is that you keep going.
Final Thoughts🌸
That’s a wrap for now!
I hope you’ve got some value from this post (Do let me know if that’s true😉). Also, tell me what other hacks do you use to conquer fear?
See you in the next value-packed post.
Till then, keep smiling and keep learning.
Signing off!
Sweta❣️
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PS: Hey! I’m Sweta, a publication editor turned content creator, living in India🙋♀️!
I’m here to help you build your own space in this online world by sharing what I’ve learned, tried out, and even failed at along the way✨
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