On Being Brave and Scared.
This whoooole blog post is a little funny to me.
Which means that it is simultaneously terrifying (because what combination of words is worthy of being FIRST!?)...and it's also the post that no one will see again, like, probably ever. It will disappear to the bottom of the pile of posts that will eventually make their way onto this blog.
It's intimidating AND inconsequential. Yeesh.
...Speaking of this blog...
This is the beginning of something pretty scary for me. I have blogged for a long time casually, just whenever I wanted, updating family and friends on a "family blog" and inflicting my opinions on the world (name that TV show reference) with a secret writing/hobby blog that I have only shared with a small group. It's easy, in those situations, to pretend that you don't really care who reads it or doesn't...because, hey! It's just-for-fun. No big deal.
BUT.
This blog is a little different. At least, I want it to be different. And it is scary for me to be so transparent about that! No feigned apathy here: I want lots of people to read this blog. I feel naked.
The bottom line is...I'm afraid to fail. And then, I remind myself that doing something that I love isn't failing at all, even if it doesn't really go as planned! And then I'm rolling my eyes at myself, thinking that I'm silly for even thinking I have anything interesting to share, that I'm not ________ enough. And then I read a quote about just giving it a shot!
And then I shout really loud to drown it all out, and I jump.
And so. This is me, closing my eyes and plugging my ears and jumping anyways. This is what my "being brave" looks like: starting something I've wanted to try for a long time...blogging like it's my job. I'm rolling my eyes at myself and patting myself on the back at the same time.
Anyways, in honour of this roller coaster...these quotes:
Don't be afraid of your fears.
They are not there to scare you. They're there to let you know that something is worth it.
-C. Joybell C.
It's not the size of the dog in the fight,
it's the size of the fight in the dog.
-Mark Twain
...you can, you should,
and if you're brave enough to start, you will.
-Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.
The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.
-Nelson Mandela
It is hard to fail,
but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.
-Theodore Roosevelt
Wishing you many brave moments today, friends. You can totally do it.
WOOOHOOO!! So glad its up and running! Your amazing, and so is this blog.
ReplyDelete1. Anyone who can write and then does, is good in my book (hmmm, interesting expression... I wonder, is there someone like Laura in my books?!) (I must mentally review the characters and see if you are there!!) This is your chance to change the world... in a different way than you have thus far. The rest of my initial saying goes something like this; 2. Anyone who can't write and still does... well, a work in progress may become a number one eventually! 3. Anyone who can write but doesn't - well, that's just too sad ... but a change of mind is always possible! And, BTW, I think you are 'numero uno'!
ReplyDeleteI am sooooo happy to read your blog! I am not often on computer and don't have a cool enough phone... but I will certainly make time to check on this wonderful blog once in awhile just because I think that you are so wonderful!!!! You are one of my favourite people Laura :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations for taking this step Laura! So very exciting!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to follow along and I'm so excited to join this journey with you! Now to shamelessly plug your blog in all my social media outlets!
xoxo
I have the perfect quote for you. It's one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteThe jump is so frightening between where I am and where I want to be.
Because of all I may become, I will close my eyes and leap. -Mary Anne Radmacher
I loved your blog from the very first post I read. I said to myself, "She is going to be HUGE. Like, CRAZY huge."
I'm so glad you jumped. Off to share your beautiful blog. xo
Being new blogger myself I can totally relate to doubts and fears you describe.One moment I feel confident that my writing is worthy of being read and the next moment I feel so daft for entertaining such thoughts.
ReplyDeleteThat first step off the proverbial cliff is by far the worst, from then it's just a matter of just putting one step in front of the other, until it becomes second nature.