When I left my corporate job in advertising and walked away from depression to follow my heart and become a writer, I started to write more and share my stories publicly. I posted one article on my Facebook page, and someone I thought was my friend wrote back in all caps, DEAR SHANNON, GOOD LUCK BECOMING A PROFESSIONAL WRITER! YOU ARE A HORRIFIC SPELLER. YOU WILL NEVER MAKE IT. And then he unfriended me.
Ouch! The truth is, I struggled all through my childhood with the written word. I had a learning disability and worked with multiple tutors for grammar and spelling. So you can imagine when I left my cushioned job in advertising to become a writer, my biggest insecurity was staring me straight in the face.
I had thoughts like who do you think you are? You can’t be a writer, you can’t even spell well. But guess what? I kept going even in the face of my deepest fears. I never let this fear stop me. Four best-selling books later, an award-winning blog and named one of Mind Body Green’s most prolific and popular writers, I am here to remind you that your flaw, the thing you think is stopping you from making it and being successful, isn’t stopping you. The only thing stopping us is when we give into the fear. And fear is just a place that has not yet seen love.
If fear and your insecurities are stopping you from moving forward on your goals, these tips will help.
1. Fear is Fleeting, Your Calling is Not
I promise you this, every single person you admire, no matter what industry they are in—comedians, actors, musicians, authors—they all had (and have) insecurities and fear. But the difference between those you admire and those who stay stuck is the single action step of seeing your fear, and doing it anyway. We all taped into our purpose and let our mission drive us forward. Instead of having your fear stop you, let your purpose pull you.
2. See it. Stop it. Shift it.
Do you have a little voice trying to sabotage you? It says:
~Who am I to write an entire book?
~ I can’t share my story or help others—no one cares what I have to say.
~ I can’t leave my corporate job to be a coach, an artist a… “fill in your passion here”— no cares about what I have to share.
~ How will I ever make a living doing what I love?
~ What if I fail?
We chose to push through these fears to rise to our calling. In my book Adventures for Your Soul I share a process that helps remove fear in my own life. I see it, then I stop it by recognizing it, then I shift it to a more loving thought. See your fear, stop it by recognizing it, then shift it to a more loving thought.
3. Find a Mentor
I knew I needed to learn about the industry not try to do it all on my own, so I sought out mentors, which changed everything. It wasn’t until I started working with mentors that I realized how important the structure and foundation of running an online business is. It is great to have passion, but knowing how to turn that into a profitable business is a while different set of skills. If you have passion and want to make a living sharing this passion with the world, then check out these free resources to support you.
