How often have you written something so epically brilliant – so incredible, only to save it on your desktop, file it away, throw it in the garbage, and tell yourself “No one would actually want to read this crap”!
I’m right there with you – I have dozens of articles and posts written that have never seen the light of day. You are your biggest critic – and as a writer, you’ll constantly tell yourself that your own work stinks.
You may be right, or you may be entirely too hard on yourself.
Enter blogging – a medium that didn’t exist until my lifetime, and overall a beautiful thing, especially for writers and thinkers. Why? Because it provides a platform for all of us to speak our mind, become a part of the media, create opportunities, and build our own brands.
And here’s the thing – blogging isn’t about perfection, it isn’t about AP Style and citing resources and being “right”. It’s about engaging in conversation, sparking that conversation, and rolling with the punches.
If you’re afraid of being wrong, if you’re afraid of putting your opinions out there, and if you’re afraid to learn from others – blogging may not be for you.
But if you’ve got an open mind – and are humble enough to admit imperfection – start a blog, start talking, and don’t be afraid to publish your ideas to the world.
This is the biggest obstacle new bloggers are faced with – thinking that either A) their stuff isn’t good enough or B) their afraid of putting an opinion out there that everyone may not agree with.
My point? So what if you’re wrong? So what if someone comes by and has a different opinion or passionately disagrees with you? As long as it’s done civilly and constructively, that kind of debate and discussion is how we all become more enlightened individuals.
In a world where personal branding continues to push itself toward to fore-front – don’t be afraid of tarnishing your own personal brand with a blog post that may not change the world – instead – embrace that your personal brand is shaped through your experiences, and as a writer, the only way to be successful is if you go at it your own way, even if that means throwing up a few stinkers from time to time.
And who knows, that blog post sitting in your “drafts’ folder, those chicken scratches in your notebook? Might just be the next brilliant idea that DOES change the world.