Are You Afraid to Blog? Me Too.

Blogging is intimidating, at least for many of those who have never done it. As an ordinary, low-profile millennial, I had been reluctant to start blogging for a long, long time. What held me back were fears.
Fear of being ignored
What if nobody likes what I write? It would be the same feeling as talking to the crowd and all that respond to you were silence. It would be time-wasted, and worst of all, it would hurt my self-esteem.
Fear of being criticized
What if people hate my ideas? What if I make mistakes? I am afraid my reputation may be ruined even though I barely have any to start with; ironic but true.
Fear of being exploited
What if the thoughts I share make me become more vulnerable? Publicizing our beliefs can be risky. I am afraid of losing this privacy and allowing myself to be taken advantage of.
No, these fears have not yet disappeared even while I am writing this first Medium post of my life. But I know I have to start; there are many thoughts and reflections that I want to exchange with others constructively and openly. Keeping them to myself won’t make any impact to the world. I finally decided to start blogging, after discovering many reasons that outweigh my fears.
First — I will never write better if I don’t start writing.
If I do not want my articles to be ignored, I need to write well. Even a writer born with innate talents requires practice; the same goes for public speaking or driving. We all learn to become better after making mistakes, not after avoiding them at all costs.
Second — Tolerance to criticism is built by getting criticized.
As Elbert Hubbard said, “To escape criticism — do nothing, say nothing, be nothing”. Since I do want to be something, I need to develop this tolerance. It is good if someone likes my posts; it is also good if someone criticizes them. I should take it as a training for thickening my skin while preserving my humility.
Third — Bullies exist in reality; either cope with them or hide in a dreamland forever.
The world is diverse. There are both nice people and the opposite ones around. Avoiding the latter means hiding in my comfort zone; which also means missing opportunities to explore the beauty out there. That would be a pity. After all, the preys that survive are the ones that can deal with predators while still manage to find food.

Why all of the above reasons matter? It’s because these are crucial skills required to fulfill my dreams. They are big dreams that cannot be archived by living in solitude. To accomplish them, I need to be able to communicate effectively, to handle criticism appropriately, and to survive the cruel parts of reality.
Even if I fail as a blogger, this failure will make me a better person from yesterday; and thus, my dreams will have a higher chance of becoming true. Failure to be a successful blogger is insignificant, but failure to fulfill my dreams would cost me a lifetime of regret.
If you, too, have big dreams to fulfill but are hesitant to start your new adventure, I hope this post gives you some courage. No, I am not telling you to get rid of your fears before you begin.
In fact, I still fear. But here, I still am.
