It's been 4 months since I decided to put myself out there.

1 year since I decided it was now or never.

And 3 years since I gave up by taking no action & remaining in my work.

Through it all, I had fears holding me back from becoming a creator.

Even now some persist and will continue to be with me.

Now I

• write 2,000+ tweets

• met 150 creators

• spent 120 days content writing

• work on 3 projects for the future

After all that, fear & discomfort can be a great motivator to start.

Here are 3 fears that I faced when I started to build on Twitter.

Fear of Comparison

"You'll never reach their level."

"You'll never be good enough."

"It's impossible for you."

We are beings who love to recognize patterns & similarities.

It helps to remember certain traits & experiences in a world so chaotic & uncertain.

And living in a world filled with 7 billion people, around 7,000 of which we'll meet in our lifetime, leads us to seek similarities with others. 🌎

But everyone is unique.

We may meet people we identify & agree with, but they're at a different level of their lives.

This brings us to compare others we connect with, but are not at their level.

That's why it was important for me to understand the people I looked up to are at a different level.

But they also started where I am at now & continued forward to reach where they're at.

The same applies to other beginners like me. They started off strongly or are still finding their footing. They're either making money or it's not their focus now. They have a reviving story to share or they're still working on their voice.

All our lives are unique and I must recognize it whenever I view the lives of others.

Fear of Starting

Expanding on the level concept, that is how life is like.

A game. 🎮

Once we decide to log into the game of creating, we are met with a blank screen with vague outlines of paths to take.

All that we have is our character sheet, background, & experience.

To which we proceed to handicap ourselves by not pressing START.

For me, it was the fear of being a beginner that held me back.

“Was this really what I had to offer?”

“It's practically nothing.”

“You could do so much more before starting.”

And it wouldn't be until much later that I realize one thing,

I don't need any more requirements to get started.

Everyone starts off with the bare minimum.

The experienced players didn't start off with the same skills & tools as they do now.

They also started the tutorial before upgrading their equipment & stacking their XP.

This is the phase to get going.

The phase to get good will start at another level.

Fear of Uncertainty

Ah yes, the fear that lasts.

For what is life but a series of uncertain events being played out daily.

Just as there are billions of people on this planet, there's infinite possibilities ready to be carried out or not taken in a given minute.

And this isn't excluded in our lives.

I didn't know what to expect from creating online & putting myself out there.

The closest I've done was on Facebook with a few relatives.

“There's no telling what'll go wrong.”

“That it'll lead to nowhere.”

“That it'll be a waste of my time & energy.”

And after wasting many years doing the bare minimum, this may seem like a new low if it flops.

But I knew different than to listen to what fear had to say.

Life is full of uncertainties & to escape them is ludicrous.

And what hasn't happened will happen or never happen once action is taken.

Even when I fail, I'll still be playing for the long term; so I can learn and return with a new approach.

Embracing the fear, taking action, & keeping an open mind is the path of living in uncertainty.

Wrap-Ups

There you have it.

3 fears that I faced when starting out.

Was it easy?

Nope.

Was it worth it?

Yep.

Acknowledging what's holding you back through honesty & reflection will ensure a strong foundation is being placed for something great to come.

There are many resources that helped me to cross these borders found below.

So let's dive into the Weekly Findings to check them out.

Weekly Findings

Show Your Work - Austin Kleon

How do you embrace the uncertainty of creating something?

Continuing from last week, we dive back into Austin Kleon's series on creative works with his 2nd book, "Show Your Work."

This book was actually recommended to me before I realized it was a trilogy of sorts.

So I decided to read them in order & read this one afterwards.

Which was a good call.

While the first one, "Steal Like An Artist," helps to find inspiration to start creating, this one helps to embrace the uncertainty of creating by simply showing your work.

And that's what the main theme is, embracing uncertainty.

• recognize the imposter syndrome

• share your process, successes, & flops

• learn through trial & error

• embrace constraints

Let's step back & acknowledge that to not go all out, guns blazing into the sunset.

Instead, it's a reminder that we all face these fears.

That it's ok to experience them at first, but not to let them stop us from putting ourselves out there.

Especially when we live in an age where you can share everything online through any means.

• Social Media

• Newsletters

• Podcasts

• Vlogs

• Blogs

And as a famous quote goes,

And that's what this is.

Power to change your path, shape people's lives, & create something new.

Now more than ever greatness can come from anywhere.

All it takes is the right intentions, desire to connect with others, & unlocking opportunities out in the open.

The Rise Of The Value Creator - Dan Koe

If I had to subscribe to only one person for the rest of my life, I would have to go with Dan Koe.

His videos, especially the One Person Business playlist on YouTube, encouraged to take up the creator path & join Twitter.

And one of his videos that gave me the push was The Rise Of The Value Creator.

It helped me to see how to transform your interests & love for learning into something that can aid society & improve the livelihood of others.

What was once a work field of transactions now is a digital landscape of enlightenment.

Adding value to people's lives.

Understanding their needs & desires.

Solving their pain points.

This should be the goal for the entrepreneur as they connect it with their interests and knowledge.

Take for example someone who loves to learn about personal finances.

They would recognize there's a need for that interest & they'll be able to write content that

• Lays out important ideas

• Recommends resources

• Provides templates and strategies

That's one of the many paths any creator can take in this day and age.

Technology is evolving to meet the innovations of young minds & communities are being formed within & outside social platforms.

What's holding you back from all these free opportunities?

The Power of Habit - Charles Duhigg

What better way to wrap up today's theme on getting started than to understand habits.

They're important for when you want to be productive and disciplined.

That's why I recommended reading Charles Duhigg's "The Power of Habit," where he goes into great detail the mechanics of habits & their impact in our lives.

If there's a real life example, he shares it.

If there's data to back it up, he shows it.

If there's an application for your own life, he has it there for you to use.

There's countless knowledge to share, but I'll keep it brief for now.

Habits boil down to 3-steps:

• a cue

• a routine

• a reward

Even when a harmful habit is formed, it's still possible to modify it into a beneficial habit through modifying the original habit.

And some habits may influence other habits.

By recognizing the essential habits in our lives, or keystone habits, we're able to influence other habits through good practice of keystone habits.

I share these truths since it's what'll help you reach your goals.

Achieving small wins in increments, helps you to create an endless loop of feedback to continue onward. Use the strategies to break down large goals into more manageable steps.

Making them more attainable & to empower you to persevere in habit building.

You'll be surprised by the amount of information & tools within the pages.

Break free from detrimental patterns & create habits that'll carry you towards success.

Thanks for reading this week's iteration.

Continue breaking down barriers holding you back, embrace the fear through action, & share your work.

Many others & myself are eager to hear your story.

May you have a blessed day!