Is Fear Dragging You Down?

“What the heck is that horrible noise?”

“That’s Bono,” she said.

It was like someone was killing a cat.

We were listening to a bootleg tape of U2 when they were first starting out.

Bono sounded horrible. HORRIBLE.

I couldn’t believe it.

How was it that what I consider one of most beautiful voices in rock history sounded so terrible?

It was at that moment back in 1992, during my freshman year at UMASS – Amherst, that I had the following revelation…

If you believe in yourself and work hard you can actually accomplish things that may have otherwise seemed impossible.

But there are times when fear and doubt try to dictate your story.

“You’ll never be able to play an instrument. You can’t sing. Play and sing at the same time? Yeah, right.”

That’s what I was telling myself at time.

And with every new adventure the story changes to do its best to hold you back.

“You’ll never be successful with your own business. You’ll never be good at creating content or showing others how to do the same. You can’t influence people to see things differently and impact change.”

Hearing this bootleg tape of U2 back then gave me new perspective.

I decided that day that I was going to learn to play an instrument and I was going to get better at singing. And yes, in case you’re wondering, I was horrible at both.

But I kept going. Practice. Practice. Practice.

I got better at the bass before I was actually able to carry a tune. And although I wasn’t able to sing them yet, I was writing lyrics.

I realized that if I just kept at it, believed in it, and practiced I could eventually improve enough to where I wasn’t uncomfortable sharing with others.

The same holds true when it comes to content marketing.

It’s through doing that the content snowball begins to grow. So if you’ve been putting it off because you’re afraid you’re not ready. Or you’ve been telling yourself that you couldn’t possibly create content that works for your business.

The bottom line is this: everybody thinks they can’t do it…until they do.

Why are we so afraid?

It’s hard not to let doubt creep in at times. Or, let the voices of the haters who want to keep you down not get to you.

But I would argue that it’s not the fear of failure that keeps us from moving forward. It’s the fear of success.

Because what if it happens?

Then we can no longer bullshit. We can no longer rely on the excuses that keep us within our comfort zone. We have to show up and prove ourselves. It’s the hard work and practice that allow us to take full advantage of those opportunities we create for ourselves.

So remember this…

A bit of confidence, a touch of arrogance, and unabashed imagination around your goals can keep you moving forward when that little thing called fear tries to hold you back.

These days I write songs to process and conquer the fear. Or whatever other thoughts dance around my brain. And yes, I can now sing and play at the same time. 🙂

Here’s one I wrote about that ever present fear. Perhaps it’ll remind you that you’re not alone and inspire you to embrace the fear while moving toward the greatness you know you can achieve.

Enjoy!

Song: Touch & Go

Thanks for reading and listening.

D.

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