How to overcome your fears and doubts
Feb 12, 2022
Hello everyone! Today, I'm going to talk about self-doubt and fear as part of our creative writing. Even though you are not experiencing this right now, you can never tell when this will hit; and if it does, it will most probably hit you hard like a rushing train. Even people who turned out to be great, world-class Authors have experienced this as well. Of course, I am no exception. I have self-doubt, and I'm afraid of what other people think of me. I remember writing my first book and thinking to myself, "Okay, once I share it on social media, what will everyone think of me? Will they think that I'm too pushy?” This is a very common feeling people experience, whether you’re an author or not. It's all a part of the procedure. So, let’s talk about it.
First, I would like to talk about self-doubt. You might feel like you’re not good enough, you might feel like people will not like your work, or you might feel like you won’t make it for any reason. Big or small, these thoughts are enough to put a halt to our progress.
The second is the fear of failure. What if your book doesn’t sell? What if no one downloads your eBook? What if you don’t get to be the Best-Selling Author or whatever, right? The fear of criticism, rejection, and being judged will always be there because we can't control what other people think of us, and there’s always a part of us that seeks validation from other people (which is also why people are drawn into social media).
Finally, there is the fear of success. What if you actually made it? You might feel like you are not ready to take the spotlight, or maybe you are afraid of how drastic the change in your life will be if everything falls into place. What if your success brings in responsibilities that are beyond what you can handle?
Fear is often worse than reality. At the end of the day, if your book only has a one-star review, no one's going to die because of it. If you write a book and only sell five copies, no one is going to die because of it. Keep in mind, we can never please everyone. What matters the most is you keep creating. You take the negative things thrown at you and turn them into something that fuels your improvement. But you can never learn and improve if you let yourself succumb to fear and stop doing what you want to do. What you feel is what matters the most. As long as you’re not hurting anyone, I assure you that you’re on the right track.
I would also like to share how I overcome my fears and doubts. This is different for everyone, but I am hoping this will help you in your journey.
- Learn how to protect yourself in practical ways. When you share your vulnerable story in the book, be mindful about it, don't just share something that you will regret later on, don't share something very private, that will hurt the person you included in your story.
- Go back to your "why". Why do you want to write a book? Allow it to remind you of your goal and why you started this in the first place. Imagine it. Imagine that you already have your goal in your hands, and live with it. This will ignite your passion and energy to continue with your journey.
- Identify what kind of fears and doubts you have. Identifying them is half of the battle. Once you are able to figure it out, then you will know how to overcome it. If you're not aware of what your fears or doubts are, what type of fear that you have, then it might hurt you later on.
- Mental rehearsal. Once you know what your fears or doubts are, imagine having them right now. Imagining it happen will prepare your mind subconsciously if it ever happens. If it hits, you’ll know what to do.
I assure you. It's not just you. It’s all of us. Everyone has something they fear or something they doubt. But what sets successful Authors apart from people who didn’t make it? They do it anyway. They learn how to live with their anxiety, fears, and doubts, and write some more. So, you too, I want you to learn how to live with this. Create it anyway, don't stop writing. I believe that you can do it.
