How I conquer my fear of writing

When I started my first business eleven years ago, I wish I would have done this, too. 

Write. 

Let’s be honest. I’m not the best writer. 

Throughout my academic career, I was a terrible student and worse with a word doc. 

When I was a sophomore in high school, my graded English papers came back to me looking like a butcher slaughtered an animal on it. There was more red ink on it than black. 

But I’ve always been bewitched by words, and books possessed me. However, smithing words was different, harder, bloodier. For decades the only thing that seemed to flow from my pen was my insecurity. 

I was just too scared to write. I didn’t want to embarrass myself. 

Posting my words online for the whole world to see–forever–sounded like torture. 

When I passed my fortieth birthday, I just got tired of my excuses and my inadequacy. They got old (like me). And I was ready for a change. I was ready to change. 

So I started to write. 

It was a simple decision, coupled with hard work and daily practice. That’s it. I just started. 

I wasn’t perfect at it, and I stopped a couple of times. Then I doubled down on it. And I decided to post my work online. 

That was terrifying, but I thought what was the worst that could happen? I would embarrass myself. But, I was ready to live with that. What I couldn’t live with was regret. 

My wife became my editor. She scrutinizes, critiques, encourages. She is helpful (and gentle). Without her, I would be lost. 

Writing has become my teacher. It has improved my thinking. And I can formulate thoughts quicker and crisper than I ever have. 

In some ways, writing has become my therapist, as well. Too much energy and time are wasted on worrying, feeling stressed, wrestling with uncertainty, relationships, fear. And all of it lingers within our hearts, unprocessed. 

Writing helps me work through those feelings line by line, dissecting and understanding what I feel so I can move on. 

As a result, I’m more productive, clear-minded, and capable of seeing the world aright. 

Mindset is one of the most critical factors in my work. Because how I think about the world affects how I act in it. It’s hard to make the right decision when your mindset is wrong. 

Writing benefits my business in other ways, too. Just the other day, I got an email from an online publication asking my company to write about website and app development. 

Is it going to amount to anything? I have no idea. But it is interesting, even exciting. 

Childhood friends, former colleagues, college buddies, and the like have reached out because of the pieces I’ve posted. It’s been rewarding to reconnect with them, to hear about their lives and stories. 

I believe that the benefits I’ve experienced from writing are not exclusive to me. Writing is good for everyone. If you don’t write, you should. 

You don’t need to pen a novel. Just journal. Jot down some thoughts. Post one or two—or not. Regardless, write. 

This past decade I failed to overcome my fears. But for the next one, I hope to fill pages and pages with words (digitally). 

I may not be the best writer. 

But I will write. 

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