I know we touched on how the belief that we are not good enough just holds us back from starting in a previous article.
But it’s probably the biggest barrier I see people placing in their own way, so I think it deserves it’s own article.
And I know we can all struggle to believe anyone would want to listen to what we have to say – that’s human nature.
Yet we also look up to those that already have successful businesses, podcasts, etc like they have it all together. If only we could be like them, right.
Well, the truth is, they were once like us too.
But they got started!
Now I obviously can’t talk for all of the big names.
Who knows, maybe some of them are just freaks that were born with a head full of knowledge and the confidence to put it out there.
But I was listening to a podcast on my morning walk the other day (as you do) and there was an interesting discussion on just this topic.
Now this is a guy that has done about 140 episodes of this particular podcast. He also does another podcast weekly, and has a blog with a massive amount of content on it.
He was talking to 2 of his friends that also have a large amount of content under their belt.
And all three of them said pretty much the same thing – when they were starting out they didn’t believe they knew enough to “put it out there”, and they didn’t think anyone would listen to them.
Well, they all have massive followings now 🙂
Here are some of the techniques and learnings they offered to get over the fear and get going:
- Start simple. You don’t have to write the most in-depth articles from day 1. Start with what you already know. You can always revisit topics again later and expand on them.
- Document what you learn. One of the guys said he got started by writing articles about what he was learning – almost like his own personal library to refer back to. Basically, every time he learnt something new, he would write an article on it to cement the knowledge (in his own words).
- Start a conversation. Maybe you don’t even need to be the expert. Maybe you can share your thoughts and ask people to contribute to the conversation. You might just learn even more from what others contribute. This can be a really good strategy if you suffer from impostor syndrome.
- Your personal visions and style. It doesn’t matter how many other people may already be writing on your topic, none of them are you. You have your own unique vision on the topic. And you have your own unique style. And it might just be your way of explaining it that gets through to someone.
And there’s one more that I want to add to the list:
- You can’t get better if you don’t get started. We all have a fear of our writing being “bad” (or maybe it’s just me). But writing is just like any other skill – the more you practice it, the better it gets. And by putting it out there you may just get some constructive criticism. If nothing else, you get practice.
Remember, none of the big names started out with everything sorted. They all went through the awkward beginnings too.
So stop holding yourself back because you believe you have nothing to offer.
You do have something to offer – YOU!
So go out there and start making your splash.
PS – If you have any other great tips for getting started writing, please drop them in the comments below.
