I hope a lost soul will find these words and realize they have what it takes to overcome fear and start again.
Dusting off the keys on my keyboard…
How long has it been?
Too long from the looks of my sad traffic report.
Why did something that once brought me joy turn into something I have ignored?
Perfectionism ruins a lot of things in my life.
I crave the feeling of getting something right.
But what is the real perfection I’m looking for?
When I started Running in Boots, I had the idea to work from anywhere and make money from it. I started researching ‘make money blogging’ and ‘how to work from home.’
The articles had great information.
I signed up for tons of newsletters, courses, and products.
The result?
Nothing.
It turns out all the information in the world doesn’t do any good if there’s no action tied to it.
PARALYZING FEAR
I am not shy in a public setting.
It may take a few minutes for me to gain the courage to speak to someone I don’t know. I love when one of my besties or someone I know is there.
I have relied on deep dependence on my husband for many years. He is the kind of guy who can approach anyone in a natural way.
Over the years, I have hidden behind this screen, afraid someone won’t like my writing. Or worse, they’ll love it and want more.
How would I be able to keep up with the demand of what my audience wants and everything that goes along with it?
WRITING TO AN AUDIENCE OF A FEW BILLION
Before I started learning about SEO and Google, I had been a happy blogger in my tiny corner of the internet. I wrote what I wanted to say and was happy behind the keys, clicking along with whatever I wanted to say.
However, my happy space was invaded by the pressure of writing for SEO and making a content plan, doing keyword research, having defined brand colors, an email list, a million Pinterest pins, and everything else that goes along with having a successful blog.
I was living in Overwhelm City.
What if all of these people I was trying to attract attention from really did come to my site?
Would they like it? How many haters would I get? Could I handle that?
The joy was gone.
All the money I had spent in learning to blog and write felt like a huge waste.
The reality of fear
It has taken me several years to get back to the keys of my beautiful computer. Sure, I didn’t just pack the screen up and hide it in a closet, but I did hide away my desire to be seen.
Fear of success is like cancer with a cure only we can administer.
You must get out before your audience to conquer what you want to accomplish.
I know this post will have errors, and Google won’t like it.
My photo ideas haven’t even come to my mind yet, and this post likely won’t make it to Pinterest.
When it’s published on my site, it may not be read by anyone.
However, pushing this post out into the world is a huge accomplishment over fear for me.
LAST WORDS
I hope that a lost soul will find these words and realize that have what it takes to pull out whatever fear has made you hide away and start again.
Forget the past and pretend you have the confidence of a four-year-old at Mini Cheer Camp. Be loud and front and center, and expect the crowd to love your performance.
I’ll be here, cheering you on.
