Tag Archive for: Rebecca Tsaros Dickson

Where is your courage? The truth about writing.

Are you hiding your writing or reveling in your passion?

I believe anything worth doing takes guts.

It takes guts to do something you know everyone won’t love.

It takes guts to keep going when people around you don’t or can’t understand.

It takes guts to look them in the eye and say what you think.

The good news is you’re not alone. If you’ve subscribed to this site or hung out on my Facebook page, you already know this.

See, I was an editor before I started coaching. The entire reason I expanded my services was because I saw first-hand how many people quietly held incredible and deeply personal stories inside – and they needed help to get them out. They knew they needed to write, but they didn’t know where or how to begin, who to ask or what to say.

I also believe if your gut tells you to do something, you DO IT.

That goes for coaching, writing or anything else.

The only thing scarier than telling your story is NOT telling it. (Click to tweet.)

Ask around. The pain of holding it in is far worst than the fear of writing. But you won’t know that until you give it a shot.

Here’s the truth:

Not writing hurts you and everyone else.

You help no one by hiding.

Make no mistake, your words absolutely can change someone’s life. (Yes, even yours.)

It’s none of your business what other people think of you. Ergo, if someone doesn’t like it, he doesn’t have to read it or he can write his own.

Your comfort zone is begging you to leave.

The universe has your back.

If this resonates with you, take a look at my calendar.

I’ve carved out a few more slots for complementary strategy sessions over the next two weeks. (I was booked through October.) If you’re serious about getting your story out there, ready to create something you’re proud of, find your voice and use it to help yourself and others, click here to schedule 30 minutes with me.

AND on Thursday, August 21, 2014, I’m hosting FREE training on why writers get blocked, stuck, scared, think they suck AND what to do about it. Click for details. It’s free, and if you can’t make it live, we’ll automatically send you the recording. Your excuse is invalid.

What would you write if you knew you could not fail?

I’ve spent the better part of the last two years talking to writers all over the world just like you.

I’ve learned about you. What you want, crave – and what you hate.

Every one of you has a different definition of success. How it looks and feels. How your perfect day unfolds.

But one thing always stays the same: The only thing between you and your writing dream is fear.

So let’s get down and dirty with it, hmmm?

Fear is fucking normal. Yeah, I said it. We will never escape the emotion. Not ever.

And that’s okay.

Some people actually choose to do things that scare them: racecar drivers, public speakers, sky-divers. And some people only face their fears when forced. (Me.)

Either way, being fearless has nothing to do with it.

Fear is with me and you and everyone else every day. Trying something new, pushing yourself can be scary. No one is unafraid all the time.

But we can manage it with our perception.

It’s about desire.

How bad do you want a thing? How much are you willing to risk to accomplish it?

When you’re on your deathbed at 96 years old, do you want to look at your great-grandson and say:

“Yeah, I went sky-diving a couple times. It was badass.”

Or “Yes, I wrote those books. I had a story to tell that the world needed to hear.”

Or even “I wish you could have seen me on the high-wire. I set a record that day.”

Or, if you’re like me, you just want to be able to call your ex-boyfriend and say, “I went into that damn root cellar and killed a wolf spider the size of my fist. So there.”

Understand, no one can completely eliminate risk. Stunt men and adrenaline junkies know this, which is why they do their best to reduce it. They wear every available piece of safety equipment. They double and triple check the racecar. They take classes.

The same goes for public speakers. They know the material so well, the audience won’t be able to come up with a question they can’t answer. They practice endlessly. Speaking in front of people is not scary in the same way as, say, swimming with sharks.

But it’s still very real fear. And it’s not dissimilar to the fear of writing.

In both cases, what we’re actually afraid of is looking silly. (That’s pretty much every human’s most basic fear.) But by practicing, preparing, studying, we reduce that risk. Besides, if we screw up writing, we’re not going to die. So decide.

Do you want to write?

Mitigate the risks as much as you can. Then take action. No one has a choice about fear. We are going to be afraid. But we can decide what to do about it.

This is good news. It means you can stop waiting to be unafraid and start writing.

It means you can feel uncomfortable, know it’s normal and get your words on the page in spite of the fear.

Not sure where to start?

Answer this question: What would you write if you knew you could not fail?

Now off you go. Write now.

***

P.S. What kind of writer are you? Take the quiz and find out. (And wait ’til you see what you get in your inbox with the results. Holy gorgeous.)