We tend to underestimate the power of our words. This can be true in any context, but this is especially true in writing. When I first started journaling, crayon in one hand, juice in the other, I had no idea the power written word possesses. I know I will someday greatly appreciate the fact I can look back on those old journals and see what I was thinking and feeling in those critical moments.
So journaling is one thing. It’s awesome, it helps you to grow as a writer, and if you don’t journal currently, you should start. But journaling is safe if you don’t share it with anyone, which is kind of the point of a journal and why it’s so great—you can write whatever you want and no one will judge you for your crazy thoughts or actions.
It’s once I started publishing my writing online that things started to get a little scary because that meant other people were reading my thoughts and judging me, and I didn’t like that. I struggled with insecurities of feeling unintelligent, and I still possess the fear that people will read my writing and call me out for being a fraud, for making mistakes, for being dumb.
This fear only increased when I began writing articles for my journalism class, because I wasn’t just writing about myself and my own thoughts anymore – I was telling other peoples’ stories, and I better get it right or else I could literally get sued. The fears accompanying journalism are the thoughts, “I’m not the one who should be telling this person’s story,” or “This person won’t like what I wrote about them"—you get the point. Writing for Odyssey is also kind of scary because it means I can publish my opinions about lots of issues online, and that means there will definitely be people who disagree with my opinions.
Writing is scary. The power of the written word is scary at times, too, when you really think about it. But a good friend told me while some amount of fear is good, we cannot let fear control us. It’s tempting sometimes to see something scary and not even attempt it, for the fear of failing. Once you figure out where the root of your fear comes from (mine comes from the fear of people thinking I’m stupid), then you can reason why your fear is illogical, and why the pros most likely greatly outweigh the cons in trying that thing.
So while writing is probably one of the scariest things I could have chosen, I no longer feel the need to have to prove myself. I know that I am intelligent, I know I can write. But battling fear is a constant, daily struggle. For anyone out there battling the same kind of fear or even a different kind, I will say this: don’t let fear control you. Don’t let it hold you back from doing the things you know you love to do, or from trying things you’ve always wanted to try. YOLO, right? I’m kidding. But also not.
I’ve had amazing people in my life tell me all it takes is 10 seconds of courage to do something you’re scared of. 10 seconds to initiate that conversation with a friend you’ve been meaning to have. 10 seconds to walk to the end of that high diving board and leap. 10 seconds to publish your writing for the world to see because who knows—you might just end up encouraging someone else.
