I just noticed I have 261 “post ideas” in an Evernote notebook. These aren’t just titles, they are half-written or fully written posts. They are deep, philosophical, and practical ideas. Most of them scare me. They’ve never seen the light of day.
Why?
Fear.
Fear of the publish button.
Fear that my writing isn’t good enough.
My excuses:
It has to be perfect.
What will they say (the online trolls that is)?
What if I’m wrong?
What if. . .
That’s the Resistance.
That’s living safely in the comfort zone.
That’s a life without grace.
It may be a little melodramatic, but I’m guessing it’s true for you too.
You have the choice. Trash or publish?
I’m guessing. . .
You have a book idea in you. Why haven’t written it?
You want to start a blog. Why haven’t you paid the $100 to start your own website? Or set up Blogger for free?
You want to start a business. What’s stopping you?
You want to become a youth speaker. Who says you’re not?
Don’t listen to the voice in your head. Just go for it.
Jared — as a big fan of your former Prayer Habits blog, I’m delighted to see you back at it in this space. 261 post ideas?! You need to share some of those with me, man. My own idea bin is always chronically low.
Thanks Stephen! I’m hoping that by making this public confession, I’ll get over myself and just start sharing what I’ve written. Ditto on on following the messy quest blog (and book!). Keep up the great work.
Well, at least now I know I’m not the only one. I don’t have 261 but I have quite a few and all the same excuses for not publishing them. Great piece. Thanks for the motivation! (It actually has motivated me a lot today.)