One of the most common fears of anyone who creates something, whether it’s online content or art or a new business or startup … is the fear of putting our work out there into the world. Some might call this a fear of being seen.
It’s a fear that has us procrastinating, researching endlessly, checking social media, answering emails, buying books on the topic, listening to podcasts and watching Youtube videos, cleaning our kitchen, deciding the laptop needs a good cleaning … endlessly! The list of things on the “constructive procrastination” list grows longer and longer, day by day, and hey – at least we are getting something done!
None of these things are wrong or bad — they’re so human! But this is a fear we have to face at some point if we ever want to make an impact on the world.
I’d love to share how I embrace this fear!
A brief summary:
I have a litmus test: if I’m not creating or putting the creation out into the world, there’s a good chance that I’m procrastinating. (There are exceptions, of course.)
If I’m avoiding it, then I create space to face the fear. The only thing that makes this fear go away is to create and put it out there.
Then I face it. I embrace it. And learn to be grateful for it!
I’ll dive into this more below.
The Core of Our Fear
What’s so scary about putting our work out into the world? We don’t know what other people will think about us and this fear of not knowing makes our brains jump to the “worst-case scenario,” thinking about trolls and naysayers giving us negative feedback. Since we don’t know how it will be received by other people – or how they will criticize us when they receive it – the outcome is full of uncertainty and since we desire certainty we choose to do the same things we have always been doing. Playing it small. Playing it safe. Playing where we think that no one can see us.
What if they judge us? What if they don’t see value in it? What if they think we’re stupid? Then we’ll feel embarrassed, unsafe, rejected, or hurt. This desire to avoid the feeling of fear is what holds us back. Our brains are wired for survival and by playing it small, we think we can avoid all of these emotions and any hurt or regret we may feel if any or all of these negative things happened to us.
As understandable as the above scenario might be, this fear will block the possibility of having a positive impact on the world.
Just for a moment, let’s pause that negative belief and narrative. Instead, we can try thinking about the impact we’d like to make in the world. Do we want to move people’s hearts, better people’s lives, open their eyes to something new, or enhance their knowledge? By reconnecting with what motivated us to want to create in the first place, we are connecting back with the source of inspiration. The source of good. The source for what is possible in the world.
Facing the Procrastination Head-On
In order to face our fear and what we’re avoiding we have to begin with acknowledging that we’re in the habit of avoiding it. When I face this situation, I ask myself, “Am I actually creating right now or putting my work out into the world?” If the answer is “no” or “I don’t have enough time, ” then it is extremely likely I am avoiding it. I stop and become aware of my internal dialogue,” What am I telling myself that is preventing me from doing this?” The answer to this question is often eye-opening and helps me build my momentum to get started.
There are some exceptions as with most things: collaborating with others in team meetings (I would argue that’s creating), coaching (that’s both creating and putting my work out there), researching (but keep it to a bare minimum, many people procrastinate by researching more than is needed). We all have seemingly a million things to do in the day but it helps when I ask myself before bedtime, “What have I done to create today? What have I done that made me feel uncomfortable and pushed me out of my comfort zone?” If I don’t have an answer to these questions or my brain comes back with, “I was too busy,” or, “There wasn’t enough time,” then I know that at the top of my “to-do” list for the next day, I need to block time to create.
Quick Tips to Schedule “Creating” Time
Once we acknowledge that we’re avoiding creating and putting it out there be can build a schedule and create a framework to face that fear and push through it until we accomplish our goal.
If you’re avoiding creating: set up a daily time-block in your calendar to feel the fear and push through and create. This is not the same as scheduling time to research. Researching is not creating. This time is to be used to actually create something. If you enjoy creating as a group, schedule a group of friends who are also creators for a video-call where you can be in the same virtual space at the same virtual time to build in that accountability. Share your creation time-block with your friends, colleagues, and family members so that they can support you in this hopefully uninterrupted time.
If you happen to be creating but avoiding putting it out there, then commit to changing that in small steps. For example, send it to people in your life who are positive and motivating. Don’t send your work to your greatest critics as this will only reinforce your negative beliefs about putting yourself out there. Once you have received some feedback that gives you positive momentum, send it out to a larger group. Then put it out into a Facebook Group of people with similar interests or in an online forum. Whatever you choose to do, remember that the fear never fully goes away. But it does transform when you are taking action and doing something towards your goals. That sense of accomplishment can help override even the greatest fear you may have.
So, schedule your creation “time-blocks,” share your creations with those you trust to be honest but positive and motivating, and flex your creative muscles by putting your work out there regularly. Each and every day.
Let’s make an impact together.