If you’re watching this show, we know you’re a content creator. Just like us. We make things for the people we want to help. Be-it service offerings or products. But how often does this happen to you? We make every excuse in the book to not hit publish, to not ship the darn thing.
In today’s backstage episode, Phil and I talk about our fears. How fear of perfection has delayed Phil from writing on his blog for 7 months. How fear of not being smart enough scared the crap out of me when I discovered Phil subscribed to my newsletter the other year. How everybody fears and what you can do about it.
Share Some Shut Up Love –> Half of the dichotomy, nobody is listening. The other half is that we are enough. – @PhilGerb @_theshutupshow #shutupshow (click to tweet)
Shut Up Tips:
I don’t feel good enough to write epic shit. I’m not hitting publishing today. I’m not hitting publish tomorrow. Probably not hitting publish for another month. Because I want it to be better. That completely conflicts with everything I coach and believe, which is “Done is better than perfect.” – Phil
Sometimes you have to ship shit. – Phil
I want it cheap, fast and epic. The real answer is we can pick two of those or maybe one of those. It’s hard. – Phil
What if he doesn’t like it? What if I’m not funny enough? What if I’m not smart enough for my subscribers? What if they know more than me? I just started to write. I started to write and write. – Berni
If we’re trying to live up to anyone other than ourselves, we’re going to let somebody down. That somebody is probably us. Because epic is our epic. Epic is different for everyone. – Phil
To write something for your peers, epic for your peers is really tough. I’m not telling you to slack, or write garbage or publish your first draft. But I’m telling you to get your first draft done. That’s perfection. – Phil
The more vulnerable you are, the more it resonates. Everyone doesn’t feel worthy and everybody suffers from imposter syndrome. – Phil
We all breathe the same, live the same, eat the same, poop the same, and fear the same too. We all worry we might not be good enough. We’re all afraid we might sound stupid. So what? – Berni
First thing is to recognize nobody is listening at first. Hit publish, who cares? Second, you’re not gonna out anybody else. Stop comparing yourself, or you will be measured. Third, if you can’t find a mentor, hire a coach. Four, continue to do it. Show up. Keep publishing. – Phil
Be a better student of the people you want to serve. If that’s not what you want to do then you’re not going to be in business. It’s about them. – Berni
Let’s stop trying to be something we’re not. Why don’t we just be who we are? Help the people we want to help. Talk about the things we do know. Then, and only then, we won’t be as insecure or as nervous because we’ll feel like an authority on that topic for the people we want to serve. – Berni
There are real imposters out there. We’re not saying that if you weight 700 lbs. you should go tell people how to get skinny. Fear is right when there’s a disconnect between who you are and what you’re saying. That’s incongruence and that’s a totally different thing. – Phil
You know what you’re doing. You just may not have the confidence. Or you haven’t found the right spot for your audience yet. Instead, change where your rifle is pointed. Fish in a new place. Don’t expect your customers are where you are. Go where they are instead. – Phil
Berni & Phil Recommend:
The post that inspired this backstage episode: How to Blog to Spite Fear.
The amazing writing of our friend and former guest AJ Leon who inspires the work we do.
Our show inspired our friend and former guest Stewart Rogers to write: What if nobody gets it?
Everybody fears, just like everybody poops as we discussed in our talk with Paul Jarvis.
As our friend and former guest Steve Farber says, “Be more you.”
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Did this episode help you stop making excuses and ship the dang thing? Link up your work here so we can share it with the SHUT UP community, yo!
Photo credit: Jaako