On overcoming the fear of putting yourself out there

This week heralds week three of our Autumn marketing course and we are going great guns! Every week I invite my lovely students to ask specific questions, and this week the lovely Melissa posed a question that is so universally applicable that I wanted to share it with you; ‘how do I overcome my anxiety about putting myself out there?’

If you’ve not ever grappled with this yourself, you’re a bigger person than me, Fear is the single biggest cause of inaction and stagnation, in my book. And while being nervous is understandable, it’s most certainly not helpful.

My advice?

Start small. Begin with something that you feel you can just about steel yourself to do. It might make you feel a little nervous, and that’s ok - but you can do it. For example, you might feel that your business could benefit from you posting some regular stories on Instagram - but your confidence isn’t there just yet. In that case, start by scheduling regular posts on the grid - something that requires a little less of you. If there’s one thing I know, it’s that if your message appears to lack confidence - or you feel uncertain as you deliver it, it’ll almost certainly have an impact on how engaging you are. As humans we seem to be able to subconsciously sniff out uncertainty in other people, and it makes us feel uncertain too. So start with something that tests you, but that you can use as a foundation to gradually build yourself up.

The biggest thing is simply to start

There are no prizes for keeping quiet about your business. None. And you know what? Others aren’t waiting to judge you in the way I imagine you think that they are. You’ll be amazed what can happen once you start really showing up for your business - the connections that are made, the sparks which occur. I promise you, you’ll be so proud of yourself. So whatever you do… just start.