December has been an odd 31 days, for me. It’s been odd because what I had planned, didn’t go as planned and I sort of allowed what was, to be. I was contacted by so many people I haven’t spoken to in years wanting to discuss their dreams, wanting to creative business plan, and wanting to discuss social media strategy. After sending them my rates and setting my boundaries, I took these meetings. The number one question, across the board from actor friends to writers to youth ministers, was something in line with, “How do you get over the fear of judgement when you are putting your ideas out in the public?”
Now I think I have people fooled. I think I have people tricked, or maybe that’s just the imposter syndrome talking. Ever since I can remember people have confided in me, I’ve never really liked small talk so I guess I invite it in as well. People have always approached me with “how are you this?”, “how did you get here?” and “what’s your business plan?”. I don’t really have an answer other than winging it or being afraid and doing it anyway. So after taking all these meetings and listening to people’s ideas, and giving them my two cents, which I love doing, I found a common thread, being fearful of putting your ideas out there and receiving judgement, or promoting yourself and work, what I like to call “Putting Yourself On”. There is fear or judgement, fear of being questioned, or feeling like what do I really bring to the table and what do I really have to offer. I asked my Instagram following if they had the same fears professionally, and the overwhelming response was YES.
SO I needed to roll back in my mental rolodex and take a deeper look at how I’ve overcome that fear of judgment and how I continue overcoming that fear. Putting yourself on, is one of my biggest professional philosophies and I could talk about it all day, everyday, that’s how much I believe in it. Putting yourself on, by my definition is how do you do what you want professionally with what you have right now, that could leverage yourself to a position you’d love. People aren’t hiring you? How do you put yourself on. You’re an actor who isn’t getting cast? How do you put yourself on, to where casting directors are calling asking for you. How do you take the time when you feel there aren’t any opportunities for you and create those opportunities for yourself, putting yourself on.
That being said, now to my tips. How did I overcome the fear of putting myself on and how do I continue to combat that fear of judgement:
Sit down, make a for real pro vs. con list. Are you completely happy with where you are today? If you never pursue the idea you have will you be okay? What if someone else did your idea, would you be upset? Think about it. Are you going to allow the fear of what if, stop you. I use the fear of staying in the same place, propel me into jumping into creative endeavors. You have to want it. You deserve it, now go get it.
I remember when I first directed a show, it was interesting because the same people talking shit saying, “Oh she’s directing a show?” or “that won’t be good”, were the same people who paid full price to come sit in the audience. This became my life motto, that people will talk, people will judge and let them because you’re putting action into your dreams and they’re paying full price for you to do so. These will also be the same people who will say they supported you from the beginning *eyeroll*. What did Drake say? The bandwagons full but you can try and run behind it!
When I started my blog, I promised myself that I would do one blog post a week for a year, after that year if it wasn’t fun or I didn’t enjoy it, I would stop. Here we are four years later! Everyone has to start somewhere and in this instant download, next things next culture, I feel we underestimate how long the foundation can take. You need to commit to a consistent schedule, in my opinion for a year. If it’s put a video out once a week, or once a month, it needs to be consistent and realistic for you. Did my blog pick up way more after that first year, of course but I gave myself the time to figure it out. When I look back, I’m like my god what was I doing but I was learning. Set yourself up for success.
I mean in the sense, fake the confidence until it comes. You have the goods, now get yourself out there. When I first started blogging, I didn’t have likes or follows but you couldn’t have told me I wasn’t blogging. Start.
Do it. Commit. End of Story. Judgement be damned.
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