When it comes to doing new things, most of us are crippled by fear.
I often wonder how many novels never saw the light of day because the authors were too afraid to share their work.
Our fears around sharing creative work are rational and irrational all at once. We don't want to stand out or look bad because our lizard brain thinks we'll become outcasts.
And outcasts perish.
But times have changed. As far as I know, no one's died from a bad book review.
But fear must be dealt with all the same. And a great strategy to deal with it is gradual exposure.
You know, like the way people used to take tiny doses of poison to become immune.
If you're afraid of performing for a big audience, try performing for one friend every day for seven days.
If you're afraid of publishing a blog post, just write anything for 10 minutes and press the "publish" button.
If you're afraid of starting a new business, try putting together a website first.
You'll find that your fears are pretty unfounded. If people respond, they're usually supportive.
And the reality is, most people ignore or forget our work.
Not because they're mean or ignorant. But because the world is busy and our brains can't read, appreciate, and respond to everything.
As you continue to dance with fear, you'll find that you don't need to be afraid anymore. It just gets easier and easier.
And then you can let your creativity shine like it was always meant to.