Jump In! The Water's Warm!
The story:
I’ve wanted to write for…ever. I love reading and jumping into other peoples’ stories. I lose myself in storytelling and love learning from others. I believe that there is a writer in all of us and we all have a story to share that is worthy. So, when I am asked to write about my coaching business or being a busy mom I do three things:
Compare myself to others.
Feel fear of judgment
Talk myself out of the whole thing.
Rinse…lather…repeat.
Let’s break it down:
1. Compare myself to others
There are so many amazing writers out there—how in the world do I rate? I couldn’t possibly be as compelling or interesting as them! And it’s not like I have a degree in writing or anything so I have zero street cred. It doesn’t help when your beautiful sister is an accomplished published author, www.gurjinderbasran.ca. Gorgeous and clever. Wow. I’ll just stop before I start!
2. Fear of judgment
Even if I did muster the confidence to write, I’m terrified of what people might think. In this day and age of social media, there are lots of eyes out there. And everyone has an opinion that they are happy to share—and most of it isn’t very supportive. It’s not easy to put yourself out there, so why bother? I talked myself out of it—aaannd we’re done.
Can anyone relate? Maybe for you it’s not writing. Maybe you talk yourself out of leaving the job you hate? Or talking yourself out of taking that kickboxing class you’ve always wanted to try? Either way, you are not alone.
Which brings us to #3.
3. The Learning
What I’ve learned about writing is this: I have a pretty powerful inner critic who is just fine keeping me safe…and small.
Understanding the power this inner critic had over me was eye-opening. My inner critic is warning me to be safe and cautious but also keeps me in fear mode to try new things. Fear of judgment and criticism keeps us all small.
After discovering this inner critic, I came to an epiphany: Who gives a flying f&$^ what people think??! Once I got my head around the fact that the writing is for me, writing got a whole lot easier! I decided to adopt an attitude of:
If my writing resonates with you—great. If it doesn’t, that’s ok too! Take what you like and leave the rest.
This really serves me and helped me dip my toe in the water.
The inquiry
A. What is it that you’ve always wanted to do but were too afraid to jump in and do?
B. What does your inner critic say that stops you in your tracks?
C. What do you have to lose if you do try? What do you have to lose if you don’t try?
Jump in! The water’s warm!