How to Share when you Don't

I’m writing this list to take stock of all my fears of sharing, and also to challenge my assumptions. This is a mix of me letting myself be vulnerable, and also hopefully connecting with anyone else that shares these fears.

The Fears - And their answers

I need to be an expert - Nope, just gotta be here. Being human is enough.

I need to be helpful - Nah, it can just be observant. There doesn’t need to be an outcome.

I need to be proud of it first - Nah, instead of “look at me” it can be “do you think this too?”

It needs to be perfect - Nah, that doesn’t exist, it isn’t possible. Good enough is literally good enough.

I think it’ll cause harm - Nah, bottling up causes me more harm, and if folks disagree that’s rich growth material. Reading may change minds, but rarely for the worse.

No one will read it - Maybe, but you guarantee that if it’s never shared.

Being ignored hurts so much that I have to remove myself, isolate before I can be ostracized - Woah, as though ownership of inflicting trauma makes it better? What a bullshit violent attitude. Sounds like some post-colonial bullshit. Way to perpetuate the trauma cycle dipshit.

Why bother? It’s wasted effort - What else are you doing to confront this many fears at once? C’mon, this is some great exercise! Saying “Why not” is a much better question.

It needs to make me money - I know, it’s sad. If it has to how are you going to get good if you never start?

I’m too old - It’s only ever too late when you’re dead, any time before then is a great time to start. Life is for living, and while suffering is a life experience, it doesn’t have to be self-inflicted.

But it won’t be original - It might not be, but who wasys orginality is the only metric of a work’s value? Your lens is unique and even hearing an old message a new way can be valuable.

It has to be cheerful - Even if it isn’t, even if it makes someone sad, you never know what effect it will have. Maybe the act of sharing it will outweigh the content. Only one way to find out.

People will think it’s stupid - Yeah, how do you know? And what if it is stupid? Sharing stupid things is all a part of the journey of eventually sharing awesome stuff.

I don’t know what medium to share it on - Why pick one? Why can’t it be edited, revised, re-shared and made better? Start somewhere and go from there.