If you're reading this you probably want to start something, whether that be your own business, a YouTube channel, or something else you've been procrastinating for some very valid reason in your head. Well, I wish I could say that I'm the perfect person to learn how to tune out those voices, but I'm not. However, I think that my struggle to put myself out on the internet is the reason why I should. I know I'm not alone in my fear of starting something new, but in a poetic kind of way, I think putting my fears out will help me overcome them.
This article took me 10 months to write
I'm going to tell you now that this article does not have 10 months of substance. So why did it take me 10 months to write my first article? Well, I face the same thing you do I'm a perfectionist, I have irrational fears of what others may think, I don't feel qualified to talk about anything, and I feel like this may be a waste of time because nobody is going to see it besides maybe a handful of people. However, I'm still writing this article and posting it, after 10 months, so what changed? Did I overcome my fears? No, they're still there. Is someone forcing me to write this? No, I'm writing this of my own volition. So, again what changed? Well, I took a step back and looked at the forks in the road that led me to where I am today.
Look for the "Tiny Forks"
How did you get to where you are today? From birth to you reading this article, a lot of life has happened in between. I want you to think about every major choice you had to make. These things are what I call "Forks in the Road" more important than any other choice you have to make, these are life-altering events, and we all share similar ones i.e. What do we do after high school? What do I do after college? What do I want to do with my life? These questions have shaped our lives into where it is now, but I want you to take a closer examination and look for the "Tiny Forks" (Yes, I made this term up on the spot). Tiny Forks are the forks in the road that you can easily miss in your day-to-day life if you don't look up to see them. These forks in the road are small, but no matter the size of the fork even a slight alteration in course over a long period of time can change our trajectory completely. These are things we face on our day-to-day like, "Should I work out today?" this question may not seem that life-altering, but let me show you how it could compound into something bigger.
Tiny Fork 1: Let's say you went to the gym today, and because you did when it came to dinner you ate something healthier, not to make your time at the gym in vain. You did the dishes, you wind down and by the time bedtime arrives you fall asleep with ease. With a full night's rest, you wake up on time and make yourself some breakfast, and head to work where you're in a great mood. End of Scenario.
Tiny Fork 2: Now, let's say you skipped out on the gym and with all the free time and energy you had, you chose to watch the latest Netflix series, but you're a little peckish so you grab some snacks and start your binge. By the time it's dinner you're hooked on the show and can't put it down. You're too busy to cook so you order out, and because you're taking the "day off" you decide to all in and eat something you know you shouldn't. You eat as you watch and by the time you're done, you realize that it's way past your bedtime. Then by the time tomorrow arrives, you wake up groggy and sleepy, going to be late to work you skip breakfast. In a hungry and sleep-deprived haze you eat a big lunch and then by the time it comes to ask yourself, "Should I work out today?". You tell yourself, "Well I already missed yesterday. What's another day?". End of Scenario.
I know you might think that I'm overexaggerating both scenarios, but these are real scenarios from my own life, and these are common Tiny Forks I find in my life all the time. These forks no matter how tiny are always present, which is why we ignore them, because they'll be here today as well as tomorrow and the day after that, until our whole lives go by and we realize we should've started earlier. Now, take some time to look at all the Tiny Forks in your life and write it down (on paper, yes it matters).
Identify the Road Blocks
So we've identified our Tiny Forks, now order them from what's most important to you and what's the least. Now write down your Road Blocks, or what's preventing you from starting. When you come up with your list of Road Blocks, I want you to imagine someone important coming to you for advice on how to overcome these fears and I want you to write down what you would tell them in response. Here's mine as an example.
My Tiny Fork: I should write my first article.
My Road Blocks/Response:
RB: I'm afraid of what others might think of my writing
RS: There's a great saying by Bernard Mannes Baruch that goes
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."
This poses the hard question, "Are the people in your life holding you back?". If you told them about a new project you wanted to start would they support you, like you would support them if the roles were reversed? If the answer is no, then you're better off without their opinion.
RB: I'm afraid I lack the skill to write anything meaningful
RS: When starting something new, you're going to suck. A vast majority of people can't pickup a skill quickly and that's okay, because if it was easy it would lose it's value. The inherit value comes from the difficulty of achieving it. Also, everything is meaningful to someone, and whenever you're in doubt, ask yourself "Does this help at least one person (that person can be yourself)?" and if the answer is yes, then you should do it. Simple as that.
RB: I'm afraid everything I want to say, has already been said.
RS: It probably has, there are billions of books in existence and there are billions of minds that have lived in the past and present, but that shouldn't deter us from sharing our thoughts. Ali Abdaal, a productivity YouTuber summarized it the best when he said "There are no unique messages, only unique messengers". We shouldn't worry ourselves with what's been done before, what's more important is that we should focus on how we can deliver this message with our own unique spin.
RB: I'm afraid I lack the qualification to speak on anything.
RS: Thing's like writing on the internet, doesn't require qualifications. In the book "Show Your Work!" by Austin Kleon, he states that we don't need to be a genius and that we should embrace being an amateur. That being an amateur can work out in our favors, as it's easier to learn from another student who was just there, as opposed to an expert who's been removed from that difficulty for quite some time. Plus, it's not about proving something, it's about showing your work. Roll credits.
"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today." Chinese Proverb
