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How to overcome your fear of writing online
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I got an email from a reader recently that shocked me.
They feel a lot of anxiety about writing online.
The only way they were able to start posting comments online was if they drank beforehand.
Writing online can be nerve-wracking.
It’s scary to share your thoughts, ideas, desires, goals, worries, fears and more in a public setting.
When you’re just starting out, this anxiety can be crippling for many.
It’s a big issue, one I’ve felt at times in my own journey and one I have empathy for.
But truthfully, I’ve never come close to needing to drink to write online.
I had no idea the anxiety and fear could be that bad for some.
I’m thankful this reader opened my eyes a bit, and today I’d like to share a few thoughts that may help if you’re facing a similar challenge.
I’ve been writing online nearly every day for 15 years.
I’ve had threats sent to my DMs.
I’ve been called all kinds of names.
I’ve been told, literally, to kill myself.
Most of these comments came in a prior life when I was a writer/editor at ESPN and Fox Sports (passion makes sports fans some of the best and absolute worst people online).
I don’t receive that level of vitriol anymore, as I’m no longer writing about your favorite sports team, but I still get rude comments and trolls nearly every day.
And to be honest, it sucks.
At times, it zaps me of my passion for writing and takes all the fun out of it. Sometimes I even wonder why I still do it.
But those thoughts are quickly replaced with another.
My wife often asks: “What’s the alternative?”
It’s a powerful question.
In this context, the alternative is I don’t write.
And if I chose that, I’d be abandoning the primary purpose of why I write.
I write to help people get better.
I love to learn, distill my experiences into lessons and share them with others.
Writing is the vehicle I use to do this, and the internet provides the opportunity for enormous impact at scale.
So, if I let the trolls prevent me from writing, who suffers?
Not the trolls. They move onto the next person.
It’s all the people who just might benefit from something I write.
It’s the people who need a little spark in their life and a nudge to improve.
It’s those of you who come across my work and, for whatever reason, decide that’s the day you’re going to take one step forward.
That’s meaningful to me.
That’s why I keep writing and sharing.
That doesn’t make it any easier, mind you.
When you publish online, you open yourself up to public criticism and scrutiny, and that’s part of it.
But I’ve also found a few other things to be true:
Writing online has changed my life. The positive has outweighed the negative over the years by orders of magnitude.
There are FAR more positive and encouraging people online than negative (it’s just human nature to listen to the negative ones).
Everyone faces this challenge. If you don’t quit, you develop the resilience to move through it and find others who support you along the way.
My best advice is to pick a more positive platform to start. I’d recommend LinkedIn (and definitely not Twitter).
I’d stick to what you know and have personal experience in.
A lot of anxiety writing online comes from people trying to project an image or portray themselves as something they’re not. There’s no need for that.
And I’d find a small tribe of folks who are also growing online and band together. Support each other. Leave positive comments on each other’s posts. Be there as a support system.
Lastly, remember the Spotlight Effect.
People aren’t thinking about you. They’re worried about their own lives.
Action Item
Start (or continue) writing online today.
Leave comments if you aren’t ready to write your own posts. Start slow - there’s no rush here.
If you’re feeling anxious and need some positive reinforcement, send me a DM with your post. I’ll swing by and drop an encouraging comment on it.
I believe we have a duty to document and pass on our stories, experiences and lessons. It impacts lives in ways we can’t imagine.
Don’t let the trolls win.
You got this!
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