Remember the last time you tried something for the first time? Yep, I am talking, sweaty palms, knot in the stomach, fear of failure, fear of success, anxiety, worry and so on …
I have wanted to write, ever since I knew how. I am inspired by the quiet blank space, the reflection, the learning, the struggle and the joy that comes from finding words that can capture a thought, and the possibility of connecting with people.
I didn’t do anything about it though, for a long time. So much so, that one of my business leaders made it a point to ask me, how far I had gotten with the writing thing, every time he met me, even years after we had moved to different roles and organizations.
Reluctantly, with a herculean dose of self-motivation, I started a blog, more for myself, than to speak to anyone. This was in the hey days of blogs. I suppose it was a first toe in the right direction. That was a decade ago though…, and even though I continued to write over the years, I stopped posting. Work and life got in the way, I thought. However, looking back now, I realize that they were just excuses.
Putting yourself out there, in a position to be judged by friends, colleagues and acquaintances alike, is a tough spot to be. Doing something that you are not terribly good at yet, and being in that spot, is an even more difficult proposition.
Remember the last time you tried something for the first time? Yep, I am talking, sweaty palms, knot in the stomach, fear of failure, fear of success, anxiety, worry and so on…
So, deep breath, tentatively I wrote my first post on LinkedIn. Surprisingly, the sun continued to shine and the world didn’t collapse on itself, nor did my friends and colleagues disown me! At first, a few read it and some of my friends and peers were nice enough to provide encouragement (and likes! Thank you!) – and then, in a few days 1360 people had read it. While that may not seem like much – it was immensely heartening to me. In the world today, having a voice and being heard is difficult enough, and even if one person found it useful – it is well worth it.
There are 2 things I learnt from this experience:
- It is never too late to start.
- Reasons (read; excuses) that hold you back, and seem very real in the moment, may not always be, real.
Oh, and I stumbled on the power of LinkedIn – truly a reach beyond imaginable.
So first step done. Was it successful? The jury is still out, but am learning that I am OK with that.
So if you have something that has been on the back burner for a while, and you just can’t shake it off, no matter what you do – it might be time to take that first step. Go for it! I will be rooting for you.
Would love to hear your stories around taking the first step and what inspired you.
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