Worrying about what others think is damaging your writing. Here’s how to care less and explode your online writing

Mastery Den, Saturday Edition, drinking two squeezed orange juices, 3-min read.

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They say knowing how to write well is most important for writing impactfully.

I disagree.

Having written for decades, I know the best stuff comes when you’re willing to take a risk. You can’t take risks if you’re bowing down to the little voice in your head that says:

‘Be careful, Alex. You might say something that invites criticism, and criticism hurts your poor widdle ego. We don’t want to go to bed tonight feeling sad because we may have hurt another human.’

The best writers say things few others are saying.

This doesn’t necessarily mean being intentionally hostile. It’s about saying what you believe in and holding fast. It’s about sharing vulnerabilities. It’s about telling it like it is.

And ultimately, it’s about publishing your ideas for the world to see.

But doing this is rare because publishing and saying the unusual invites all these scary things we’re worried about.

Here’s how I learned to overcome a lot of this fear over the years:

Be aware of the stories you tell to justify acting small.

If we truly believe other people are a threat, we will adapt our behaviours (and writing) accordingly.

What if this perceived threat didn’t need to affect your writing in the slightest? Be conscious of the thoughts you entertain that keep you cautious.

Question them so you see their falsehood. Your behaviour changes when you see yourself and the world in a new light.

You move more fluidly. You are free.

Always set out to write with a positive intention for your tribe.

People fear being open and honest because they think they are somehow bad for doing so.

‘I don’t want to come across as mean,’ they think.

No honest person ever gained everyone’s approval.

If your intentions are positive, and you genuinely focus on improving the lives of a specific group of people, you are doing the right thing.

Practice leaning into your edges.

Bold and interesting writing takes practice.

It is a habit. Stop playing it safe.

Few want to read safe tripe. Bold writing doesn’t need to be jumping into a pool of sharks. You can put one foot in today.

Develop the habit of continually pushing yourself further out.

This is what I’ve been doing with my articles for many years.

Sometimes, I play the easy card, but often, I intentionally write things that make me nervous.

You’ll become increasingly immune to the typical fears writers face.

Embrace the awkwardness.

When helping my clients overcome social anxiety, I encourage them to embrace the discomfort of it.

Their shoulders are too compressed and they hold their breath. No good.

The same applies to writing. You want to feel some discomfort, ideally. And when it comes, you can see it as a sign.

You can welcome and let go of it and learn to accept these awkward feelings.

You can run with them rather than see them as an excuse to pretend you never saw it.

Write like an animal.

I can guarantee you that you create more fear for yourself because you barely write anything in the first place.

Finally, after getting off your ass and mustering the courage to write, it suddenly feels like a big deal. And ‘big deals’ ripple with pressure.

When you commit to volume, finding any spare moment to write, every piece now attracts far less ‘big deal’ energy (BDE).

Write more.

Don’t overthink it. Hit publish fast, and move on to the next one.

Think like this:

I am a writing maniac, and I love the thrill of writing and sharing more of my ideas because it keeps me active, busy, and creative, thanks to all the momentum. I focus on my next fifty articles. I don’t judge my strategy until I’ve published three hundred. I don’t suffer over a poorly received post because that’s just one article in a big pond of articles.

I just smile and move on to the next.

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