If you haven’t figured it out my now, these weekly posts sometimes serve as my confessional. This week, I’m going to talk about one of my fears. As a coach, of course I know that my fears are illusions, stories I’ve told myself based on something that has either happened to me or someone else, in the past. This knowledge doesn’t prevent me from feeling fear.
The latest fear I have decided to take on is my fear of video. Yes, I’ve done webinars and even been on TV (sometimes even live!), but that doesn’t mean I enjoy doing it, or don’t experience any anxiety beforehand. Last week I participated in a 5 Day Video Visibility Challenge because I am committed to getting more comfortable in on video. I see colleagues and mentors using video and live streaming to connect with their audience in meaningful ways and want to feel comfortable doing the same.
I’ll be honest when I say that I felt a little apprehensive about doing the challenge. Was I really going to commit to doing a video a day (and post it for others to see!) for 5 days straight? Guess what? I did commit to doing it and posted a video each day to a Facebook Group with over a thousand members! I even surprised myself when I tried Facebook Live as part of the final day’s challenge 😮
Here’s what I realized in doing this: the more you step outside your comfort zone, the easier it gets. I’m not saying that at the end of the 5 days I was a video maven with a thousand new followers. What it does mean is that I am encouraged to do more! Now that I’ve gotten more comfortable with video, I don’t want to lose the momentum. I am committing to doing more video – maybe one a week (!).
I was afraid to do video because I was worried about the videos not looking professional enough, or that I wouldn’t be able to express myself clearly or in a concise manner. I was afraid that I would look awkward or that no one would care about anything valuable to say. So many fears, and at the end of the day none of it really matters! Even if I do a video and it fumble up a few words, what’s the big deal, what’s the worst that could happen?
If you have a fear that’s holding you back from doing something you really want to do, just do it. Maybe you don’t take a full leap, but a baby step towards that fear, but do something. Action neutralizes our fears. When we take back our control and do the things that fear tells us we shouldn’t, we empower ourselves. We realize that we’re stronger than we think. We start to wonder… what else is possible? ♥