How To Overcome The Fear Of Writing Online 

The idea  of starting a blog has been resonating in my head for some time, but I have not written anything for people to read.

I was gripped with fear of writing about my experiences, ideas, values, opinions,  thoughts, principles, life, etc.  My writing disability and not making mistakes in public have made me avoid it for long.

However, I stumbled across this quote from Albert Einstein " a person who never made a mistake never tried anything new". I also watched  this video from Ali abdaal, he recommended this book "show your work" by Austin kleon. After I read that book, my life changed. I see writing online from a different perspective, and I have been writing for myself; it has been fun.

I don't  have a structure, I just want it as a listicle. I am still working on a structure.

1. What I write may not be interesting.
2. I don't have any experience and I am not convinced I am a writer.
3. People may see my weaknesses and criticize me 

Disclaimer: The information you are reading is related to my own circumstances and experience. I hope you may take something out of it and link it to your own situation. To get the full gist read "show your work". click here

1. What I Write May Not Be Interesting 

This is normal, when we want to do something we tend to have positive and negative emotions. The positive emotion is always a calm and slightly silent voice within us giving us reason why we can do it. The others keep giving us reasons why we will fail. They are both good for us, the negative emotion exposes weakness and our fears. While the positive shows us our strength.

Which emotion should I follow?

Your concern should be to start doing something. No writer knows what the outcome of their work is. Once you are convinced that it will be useful to one person,  share it, but if not, keep it to yourself.

  Just as  Austin kleon laid emphasis on making progress and getting better. 

" Posting your work  online while you're focused on making progress and getting good at what you do. All the people I look up to and try to get ideas from,  have always shared their routine. They 're always working in their workspace. They don't maintain absolute secrecy and hoard their work, instead,  they're consistently posting bits and pieces of their work, ideas, and what they're learning online."

don't let Perfect become the enemy of doing good. Just as John cheese said "creativity is not a talent. It is a way of operating." 

2. I Don't Have Any Experience And I Am not Convinced I Am A Writer 

This is the problem most people have about creativity. It has also held me from taking the plunge into writing. It has been on my mind to write articles and post them online for years. I keep saying I can't make a complete sentence without error. My punctuation is terrible, it sucks. My ideas are not original…

As a remedy, I bought English grammar years ago in order to be perfect. I was reading it passively,thinking it will absorb into my brain like osmosis or diffusion. I was thinking one day I will be very good at English language  but nothing has really changed. My progress was just minor  but  After I came across this quote from Aristotle " for things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them." And " the greatest tragedy of the family is the unlived life of the parents"- car Jung

 My fear automatically reversed. Now I don't want to regret not doing anything.

 Austin kleon said 

"Amateurs… the enthusiast who pursues her work in the spirit of love, regardless of the potential for fame, money, or career—who often has the advantage over the professional. Because they have little to lose... Amateurs are willing to try anything and share the results. They take chances, experiment, and follow their whims. Sometimes, in the process of doing things in an unprofessional way, they make new discoveries... Amateurs are not afraid to make mistakes or look ridiculous in public. They’re in love, so they don’t hesitate to do work that others think of as silly or just plain stupid…The best way to flourish is to retain an amateur’s spirit and embrace uncertainty and the unknown..The best way to get started on the path to sharing your work is to think about what you want to learn, and make a commitment to learning it in front of others. Find a scenius, pay  attention to what others are sharing, and then start taking note of what they’re not sharing. Be on the lookout for voids that you can fill with your own efforts, no matter how bad they are at first. Don’t worry, for now, about how you’ll make money or a career off it. Forget about being an expert or a professional, and wear your amateurism (your heart, your love) on your sleeve. Share what you love, and the people who love the same things will find you."

I recommend you to read the book (link)  Join me as an amateur or a beginner.  If you are anything like me, I love learning and want to explore the field of  life. Let's leverage on social media to share our work.This has been what I have been doing indirectly as a child. Whenever I learn something new, I always share it with my classmates, and my friends.

3.People May See My Weaknesses And Criticize Me 

Most people don't think about your weakness, they want to learn how to strengthen their own weakness. While others criticize you, it is normal everybody cannot like your work. Criticism is very good; it reveals the area you need to work on. 

Secondly God knows our weakness, he wants us to work on it and be better. I count him as the most powerful, he who sees his strength and weakness and actively works on his weakness daily and takes advantage of his strength.

Remember Eleanor Roosevelt said " You wouldn't worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do".

Epictetus said " if you find yourself acting to impress others or avoiding action out of fear of what they might think, you have left the path".

Conclusion 

What you write today may have numerous benefits to people and may serve as their source of inspiration. Do not let perfect become a hindrance of doing good.

Second Timothy 1:7

For the Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid; instead, his Spirit fills us with power, love, and self-control. Everybody has their weaknesses.

If you are interested in learning how to show your work, method and process read "show your work" by Austin kleon.