8 common blogging fears and how to overcome them

Today I want to talk about something tough: confidence.

We all have that one thing in life that stops us in our tracks, but I know for a lot of bloggers, the process of sharing our work can be a real sticking point.

This lack of confidence usually stems from fear of some kind.

So, today I wanted to share some advice for 8 of the most common blogging fears when it comes to social media.

1. Fear of being judged by one person

Look. This might seem like a drastic to a lot of people but I’m gonna give you a little tough love on this one.

If there is someone online or in your real life that makes you feel self-conscious, ashamed or just generally makes you feel like trash, BLOCK THEM.

Your business. Your blog. None of their darn business.

That includes family. If you have a family member (or many like me) that you don’t want any kind of unsolicited comments from on social media. Block them, too.

Block them and move on with your life. Cool?

2. Fear of not sharing the perfect thing

This is easily one of the most common blogging fears I hear about from other bloggers.

And here’s something I’ve learned: Quantity becomes quality.

If your fear stems from being afraid of posting the wrong thing, I have some encouragement for you.

Until a few months ago, I was fighting the fear of writing the wrong thing or sharing the wrong point of view or saying something that was out “off-brand.”

I neglected every single social media platform. And it wasn’t for lack of knowledge. Social media strategy and planning is my jam.

I was scared. I didn’t want to be wrong.

And then I was poking around on the interwebs and I stumbled a story from the book “Art & Fear” by David Bayles and Ted Orland it says:

The ceramics teacher announced on opening day that he was dividing the class into two groups. All those on the left side of the studio, he said, would be graded solely on the quantity of work they produced, all those on the right solely on its quality.

His procedure was simple: on the final day of class he would bring in his bathroom scales and weigh the work of the “quantity” group: fifty pound of pots rated an “A”, forty pounds a “B”, and so on. Those being graded on “quality”, however, needed to produce only one pot – albeit a perfect one – to get an “A”.

Well, came grading time and a curious fact emerged: the works of highest quality were all produced by the group being graded for quantity. It seems that while the “quantity” group was busily churning out piles of work – and learning from their mistakes – the “quality” group had sat theorizing about perfection, and in the end had little more to show for their efforts than grandiose theories and a pile of dead clay.

Bayles, David, and Ted Orland. Art & Fear: Includes Bibliographical References and Index. Image Continuum Press, 2001.

And after I read that story, something really clicked for me. All of a sudden my brain made a switch.

It’s like my brain got the proof to jump in.

And so I did.

So, if you’re a perfectionist and you’re ready to jump that ship, let this story be your guide.

Related: Are your blogging fears holding you back?

3. Fear of being judged for oversharing

Set good boundaries.

Social media has this funny way of pulling us in. And there is a misconception that you have to share literally everything.

You don’t. And you get to decide the rules. Here are a few ideas:

• No social media on the weekends.
• No social media after the kiddos get home from school until after they go to bed.
• If you have kids, you can choose not to share them.
• Set time limits for how much you spend on social media
• Choose to take photos and videos during events but post them later. That way you can enjoy the event a little more.

4. Fear that causes you to find excuses

There are a million other things you can do besides post on social media for your blog.

There’s laundry and dinner to cook and carpool pickup.

But sometimes we use these as an excuse to not do what we intend. Because we’re scared.

What excuse does your brain always use?

5. Fear of becoming obsessed with it

I spent my teen and college years avoiding the platforms. I saw my peers getting addicted to “likes” and I didn’t want to be like that. What I wanted was confidence that came from within and not from the online approval of my peers.

So, when I started building my online presence I was in for a major mindset jumble. Whatever negative thoughts you have about social media, know that you get to choose your thoughts.

Honestly, I have to tell myself every day that social media is all about making friends and helping them the way you would any friend.

6. Fear of never measuring up to your favorite influencer

We all have that one account that we follow that we both love and makes us feel like garbage. And sometimes this is one of the most common blogging fears that we don’t even know we have. Guess what? It’s not helping you overcome your fear of being judged on social media.

Here’s a permission slip for ya: Unfollow them. You’ll feel better.

7. Fear of not knowing what to say

Use your blog content as a base for what you share on social.

This is an awesome way to trick your brain a bit! You’ve already written awesome blog content and shared it Pinterest, right?

It’s already out in the world, just copy and paste over to social!

8. Fear of getting in over your head

Lastly, don’t try to go full throttle into social media.

If you’ve been paralyzed from fear, start by just posting a link with a call to action a few times a week. Just get into the habit of posting and being okay with your work and your words being out there.

And when you feel ready, take another step.

These common blogging fears are some of our biggest roadblocks on the road to blog growth. Did you see one that has been keeping you stuck? Tell me in the comments!