Putting yourself out there is scary. But it is also incredibly rewarding

According to LinkedIn, this is my 100th article.

I had no idea I would do this many. Yet when writing becomes a habitual moment of joy, everything else just flows. If I had spent too much time focussing on writing 100 articles, rather than just enjoying writing, I doubt I would have made it to this many. Let's see if I make it to 1000 articles!

The theme around 'putting myself out there' feels very appropriate. My first article back in August 2020 was a nervous foray to sharing my thoughts to a public audience. I am so glad I made the step to do it. It started a new source of contentment and a new identity for me as a writer.

Now I have this newsletter with over 1000 subscribers. It's incredibly rewarding (as well as humbling) to hear from people every now and then about how they've been reading my articles each week. The funny thing is I have no idea that anyone reads them until they tell me!

This week has also been a new, nerve-wracking adventure. On Saturday, I published my book, Make Diversity Matter to You.

There isn't anything quite as exposing as putting a piece of work out there with your name on it. I still feel free around whether the content is of a good enough quality, or whether I'm charging too much for the book. Despite knowing that people enjoy my writing, that early feedback of pre-release versions was positive and that I'm happy with the content, I still feel nervous.

But nervousness is not a reason to not do something. If anything, the feeling of nerves or fear is actually often a sign that it will be the best thing you can do for yourself. When we can tackle our fears head on, we experience exponential growth.

Even after I finished the book, part of me wanted to release the book without really promoting it. That way, if it wasn't good enough, it wouldn't matter. But this would be self-sabotaging. This book has been a two year side project for me that I wrote with care and attention. Deep down, I know this will really help people.

In the past I would hide away, only posting my personal reflections on LinkedIn as a 'professional' platform, and avoid telling friends and family about the things I would be doing. This was my own fear. I'm now being more public about my own creations than I ever have been. I've posted excerpts, which include honest, personal accounts of my experience taken from the book. I've shared this with people I've met in real life, as well as other 'personal' social media platforms.

The funny thing about fear is that once you face up to it, the things you're scared about can melt away pretty quickly. I've been humbled by the amount of well wishes I've received from people. I didn't really think people would care so much. Perhaps by making a genuine commitment to make things better in the world, I've inspired others. I've already had several conversations with people who by finishing my book I've now inspired them to get on with their books!

I'm not the first person to write a book, neither will I be the last. Even if the book is terrible, it doesn't really matter that much anyway. And I don't mean that in a nihilistic sense. I mean that I have the freedom to create whatever I want.

Once I take away my own doubts and fears, I can do some really cool things in my life. Cool things, like writing a book.

If you would like to see more about the book, check out the links to Amazon below (I've included different Amazon storefront for my international friends)

Amazon UK -?https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BMK13Q6C

Amazon Fr -?https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0BMK13Q6C

Amazon DE -?https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0BMK13Q6C

Amazon US -?https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BMK13Q6C

Amazon AU -?https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0BMK13Q6C