(This is part 2 of my fear of blogging post. Check out part 1 here first)

So Monday I did a thing. I was writing about how afraid I was for people to find out I started a blog, I thought the best way to overcome this fear was to let as many people know about it as possible. Right now the largest community of friends and family I have is on Facebook. So I put myself out there by putting a post up on Facebook letting everyone know about the blog and where to find it.

The AMAZING thing was the overwhelming number of positive comments and replies I received. People I haven’t talked to in years left comments congratulating me on starting this project and urging me to continue. Over the last 48 hours, almost every time I checked Facebook there was something new to see. It feels awesome.

Then it hit me in the face like a ton of bricks. Holy shit… Now everyone knows I started this thing there’s no hiding anymore. This means quitting isn’t an option anymore. If I decided to quit because it gets too hard then people will notice. People will ask what happened and I’ll have to tell them I couldn’t hack it.

I realized I burned the boats and there’s no going back. Failure might be an option but quitting isn’t anymore.

This thought scared the shit out of me. “You mean I have to continue to put effort into something? I started something and I have to see it through? Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God!”

When people talk about the fear of starting something new they usually focus on the fear of failure. What if I’m not good enough? What if no one likes it? What if they laugh at me? If you are anything like me, one or all of these thoughts have crossed into your mind when starting something new.

The nice thing about the fear of failure is if you put yourself out there and it doesn’t work you go back to the status quo. Back to your comfort zone. You get to tell yourself, “See, I told you it wouldn’t work. You should have stayed here where it was safe.” The resistance comes to you. It comforts you, giving you a nice warm place to hide from the world again.

What people don’t realize is there’s the fear of success as well. It’s the “Holy shit, this worked! What do I do now?” Now, not only are you out of your comfort zone but you’re in uncharted waters. You’re a trailblazer in your own life and have to figure out the next steps by yourself. There’s no safe place or a warm fire to protect you. You are out in the wilderness, disoriented, wondering which way to go. Good luck, STUPID!

Before I put the post on Facebook I was afraid of people thinking it would suck. Then I got all of the positive comments and I was happy I conquered my fears. Then I realized I had no choice but to continue writing and I started to freak out again. I had succeeded, at least for now, and I was in those uncharted waters. Now, what do I do?

The nice thing is, as I sit here writing this post, the fears are melting away. I’m remembering why I’ve decided to start this blog in the first place. I find writing cathartic and I wanted a place to share my writing with others. It’s not about failing or succeeding. It’s not about people liking or hating what I’ve written. It’s about me and helping me work to become a better person. Success and people liking my writing are added bonuses to what I’m doing.

Every day is going to be a challenge. Every day I’ll have to find something new. Every day I’ll have to push myself a little bit more. As Ryan Holiday would put it the Obstacle is the Way. The longer I go the better I’ll become and isn’t this the point of what I’m doing?

P.S. If you’ve read these two posts and have something you’re afraid of working starting, leave me a comment below or send me a message. I’d love to hear about it.