As I was thinking about what my first Odyssey article would be about, I was at first nervous and then I became scared. What was I thinking, applying to be a content creator? What if my first piece completely sucked? I know I wasn’t expected to be the best writer ever, but I couldn’t be completely horrible either. And what would I even write about?

To get my creative juices flowing and put stop to my temporary mental breakdown, I took a break by scrolling through my Instagram feed — clearly the perfect solution for when you can’t figure something out.

Not long after I came across this:

With my train of procrastination now halted, I had found my inspiration in more ways than one. Don't worry about what other people have to say about the things you do or the way you do it. People's opinions about you are just that: opinions. Not facts or truths, and accordingly, they should hold little to no weight in your life. So what you might not be the most talented singer? Belt out those lyrics like you mean it, girl! Got no rhythm? Who cares! Shake your stuff on the dance floor!

Being self-conscious about how you appear to other people is not going to make you a happier person or change their perceptions about you. So like Taylor Swift taught us, shake it off!

Let whoever think whatever; you just keep doing YOU. Even in the decisions you make, don't let the fear of not being the best stop you from taking risks and trying something new. Attempt to talk to someone in that language you're not totally fluent in, take that art class, join that organization. The only way to know how something is going to end is to give it a shot.

Life is too short to obsess over being perfect at everything you do. Aim to try a little bit of everything and progress as you go; down the road, you'll be glad you had the experience of trying different activities and be grateful for the lessons they taught in their own unique way.

Moving forward, I'm going to focus on topics I'm passionate about and getting better at developing ideas and expressing them in fun, relatable ways. I took a risk by becoming a content creator on this site and giving people access to my writing, but rather than be nervous and embarrassed, I want to enjoy what being a part of this community will teach me (as well have fun in the process).

So as long you enjoy something (and it doesn't put you or people around you in danger), keep doing it. Focus on the being good at it part later.