If you’re anything like me, you spend a lot of time being afraid of things.
Of course, this fear doesn’t manifest as horror-film-worthy terror, and I (mostly) don’t run down the street screaming, not by a long shot. We’re way more clever than that, me and my fear. We mask it with other, more socially acceptable justifications. For instance.
- “Oh, I’m not afraid to go to that party. I’m just tired.”
- “Me? Afraid of asking for a raise? Pfft! Naw, the reason I’m not asking for more money is because they have this policy that disqualifies me…”
- “Auditions don’t scare me. I’m choosing not to throw my hat in the ring because I’m not the type they want.”
If anything, fear is a master of disguise. And to be completely honest? That pisses me off. And it scared me a little, too (SEE WHAT I MEAN!?).
Fear Is Everywhere
Recently, I began a journey of really listening to my gut. I’ve noticed that when I slow down and uncover my intuitive leanings, everything seems to go better.
But what I discovered as part of this journey is that I have a lot of fear embedded into my daily life. When an opportunity arises that feels like a stretch, I get scared. New potential client? Scared. Chance to meet someone influential who I’ve always wanted to meet?
Yup. Scared.
Honestly, I was shocked at how much fear I uncovered. It’s even a little embarrassing to admit. But overall, I’d say that discovering all this fear has actually been a real blessing.
Clarify Where You’re Not Taking Action
Personally, fear stops me. Often I don’t even realize that I’m being stopped (see list of excuses, above). So when I smell fear these days, I see it as an opportunity.
The fear shows me where I’m not taking action. It shows me where I’m stuck.
See, that’s the thing: once you identify your fear, you’re responsible for feeling it, acknowledging it, and then taking action in spite of it.
Catch my drift?
Back To Blogging…
And since this is, after all, a blog about blogging for your business, I would be remiss if I failed to point out just how often I see my clients stall, block, get busy or confused when it’s time to post the content we’ve created.
I don’t blame them. It takes a lot of guts to stand up on a global platform and share yourself.
The key is to become aware of it and use it as inspiration to move forward instead of an excuse to stay stuck.
Fear will always be there, especially in blogging, but really, it’s present in many aspects of our lives every single day. The question is, will you take responsibility for it and take the scary actions anyway?
Allison Volk specializes in creating authority and visibility for businesses and entrepreneurs through effective content marketing. Her clients have appeared in The Huffington Post, Forbes.com, Mind Body Green, LifeHack, Bitter Lemons and DentalTown.com, to name a few. Find out more at www.TheBlogBabe.com.
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