BE BOLD, BE BRAVE, BE YOU
Be Afraid and Feel Challenged in Your Writing and Creativity
Advice I am taking for myself and something that is motivating me to write more
”If you go deeper and deeper into your own heart, you’ll be living in a world with less fear, isolation and loneliness.” — Sharon Salzberg
I’ve been focused for so long on maintaining a certain level of quality. I’m still focused on that. Don’t get me wrong. But I’m an overthinker. As a chronic overthinker, I’ve started doubting myself. Despite the following and the volume of stories I’ve written over the last couple of years now, I’ve hit a wall.
I’ve been too afraid to say certain things, express certain opinions, and publish stories that are perfectly fine. I’ve deleted more words than I’ve written in the last few months alone. I have been in a cycle of doubt and have been blocked from creativity. And why? Because I’ve been afraid.
Fear is crippling sometimes. It gets us to not do things that we should. Many of us never break out of that cycle. We are content staying put, not taking chances, and not putting ourselves out there. But do you know what? I’m tired of being afraid. If I wasn’t afraid when I first started writing and wrote anyway, I shouldn’t be afraid now that I’ve been doing this for a while.
I was on a podcast today with my friend, Murphy's Law, and we talked about storytelling, creativity, and taking chances, among many other topics. You can watch the podcast here. That in itself is just me taking another chance. Sure, I have done interviews and have put myself out there before like this but never in this format. It was a risk. It was a chance. And it feels like that once it was done, it immediately paid off.
I completed the task. I overthought. I was afraid. I didn’t know what to expect. I was completely nervous. I even vomited a couple of times before we went live today. That fear drove me to do my best. It made me feel alive and want to create something special. That was my biggest takeaway from doing it today.
Was I afraid that I couldn’t do it? Sure.
But did I let that stop me from actually doing it? No. Because I knew that I needed to and that it would help me get over whatever has been blocking me for this recent stretch. Being afraid made me want to do better, be better, and take some chances with what I wanted to say.
Sure, I’m an empathetic person and I consider what I say and know that things I say have consequences. I’m not a mean or spiteful person though. I am always thoughtful, and considerate, and try to consider others when I say certain things.
Am I perfect? No, but I don’t need to be.
I want to be authentic. I just need to be me and get my voice out there. Be scared as hell when you go into writing something but don’t let that fear rule you. You aren’t as bad as you think you are. You aren’t as offensive as you think you are. The world doesn’t revolve around you as much as you may think it does. You can make a difference but you have to be present and challenge yourself and put yourself out there to do it.
I don’t want to get too cliché here but I definitely do feel like it’s great advice for anyone who was stuck like me. You have to be scared, take chances, and challenge yourself to move forward. It is scary to grow, to create, and to be present and authentic.
No one said that this journey was going to be easy but if it’s one you’re meant to take, this is the way forward. I’m not saying to just go balls to the wall and start writing whatever’s on your mind, especially if it’s just a bunch of drivel and nonsense, but if you have something to say, find a way to get yourself to the point that you feel challenged and afraid enough to actually say it.
When you allow yourself to be free from that fear, anxiety, and isolation preventing you from putting your thoughts and ideas out there, you can truly feel free to express yourself. That is the goal after all. People don’t want to read something that isn’t just a tiny bit vulnerable or valuable to them.
I challenge you all. Go out there and step outside of your comfort zone for a second. Write something you’ve wanted to write in forever but haven’t had the courage to write yet. I am planning on doing that a lot more again. I have been letting fear rule me for way too long. And this is just the next chapter in a series of things I plan to do to challenge myself more creatively. I have a ton of creativity just bottled up inside. I need to let it out.
What have you done to challenge yourself lately? What makes you anxious about writing? How much do others’ opinions of your writing affect you?
Again, this is Murphy's Law and I talking about a variety of topics but focused on creativity, the state of media, diversity, Star Wars, and the aforementioned conversation.
