I know that you have good intentions for your website. There is a special message that you want to share with the world. Helping students expand their horizons is a noble cause. Inspiring friends to put down the coke can, get off the couch and come visit Asia is worth a try. However, no one will be able to benefit from you what you have to offer.
It’s not because your message is unclear.
It’s not because you aren’t passionate and ambitious enough.
It’s not even because you don’t have the words written down.
The one roadblock that is keeping you from getting your website going is
FEAR OF PRESSING THE BUTTON.
It’s so simple, but so real.
I’ve been there myself. I remember trying to write my very first blog post and not being able to hit the publish button. I combed through the article dozens of times and still couldn’t bring myself to do it.
I’m going to share a secret with you… It’s not 100% your fault. That’s right. It’s not your fault, entirely.
Here’s why:
Many of the fears we have are invisible. Ramit Sethi calls them invisible scripts. Life Coaches call them gremlins. They are the voices in our head that silently convince us we are not ready to put our message out there.
We can’t control the voices in our head. What we can do is become more aware of them and make a conscious decision about whether to follow them.
FEEL THE FEAR AND DO IT ANYWAY
Whew! My heart pounds a little faster each time I am about to publish a post, even this one. Over time I’ve gotten used to the voices of fear and doubt in my head trying to creep in.
I’ve gotten used to taking a breath, pushing the button and hoping things go alright. I could write a whole post about what could potentially happen wrong 🙂
However, that’s not what we are here to do.
HOW ABOUT A MIDDLE GROUND?
Maybe you’re not convinced that you can publish and see what happens. There is still hope. Here’s what I want you to do:
1. Take out a piece of paper.
2. Write down the names of three close friends.
3. Hit CMD-S on your keyboard to select your post
4. Paste this post into an email message and send to one friend. Don’t worry. You’re not publishing.
5. Ask your friend for feedback about how it reads and if it gets the message across.
If they say it’s good, push the publish button.
If they have some suggestions, make a few edits and send to the next friend on the list.
Give it a try and you will slowly get used to pushing the button on your content. Get it out there and possibilities start to become realities. For sure.