I’ve you’ve ever thought about posting content online, but felt shyness or fear – this article is for you!
Fear is likely the most common reason why people don’t make and post content, when they know it could potentially change their lives.
Not because they are boring or the content is bad. Not because they don’t have anything of value to say. But because making the actual content can feel cringe and pressing “post” feels like exposing yourself to judgment from EVERYONE.
If you’ve ever created something and wanted to share it with the world, I’ll be one to say that I would love to see it!
You might think that people will think negatively about it, that they will think it is stupid, that they will laugh at you. You might worry that no one will care. But think of it this way: you are not alone in this thought! As a matter of fact, you’re actually thinking exactly like most people.
Take fear as a sign that you’re trying something new – not doing something wrong!
First of all, if you feel any fear at all – it just means you are human with normal biological responses. Being fearful of posting your content is not a bad thing. And it certainly doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re doing something wrong!
From an evolutionary perspective, your brain is wired to protect you. Standing out was considered to be dangerous, and being seen and feeling exposed threatened your survival instincts.
When you post something to the public, especially if it makes you feel vulnerable, your nervous system might see it as a threat.
You might feel the common physical symptoms of fear: a tight chest, racing thoughts, the urge to “wait until another time.” You might also try to come up with 100 different excuses as to why now is not the right time. But every single one of them is just that – an excuse. And all the while, time and the world moves on.
I felt this exact hesitation when I first started PGM, and still feel it now, as I begin to grow the accounts. I’m trying to reframe it not as a signal to stop, but to keep expanding my comfort zone. Posted a video with a voiceover? The world didn’t end. Shot an Amazon Influencer review for a tea brand? The world is still turning.
The point is, the more I continue to expand my comfort zone, the more time will pass – and the more comfortable I will get in situations where I wasn’t before.
I think the real fear isn’t actually of posting content. It’s fear of people seeing what you really want.
Posting content that exposes your identity, thoughts, desires, or interests freezes those moments in time. It attaches your name to those things, and your reputation. It invites interpretation and others building a narrative without your input.
When something you have created lives only in your mind, it’s in perfect condition – untouched and unseen by the world, which can sometimes be unkind. When you finally post your content, it all becomes real.
The exposure leaves room for people to misunderstand your identity, thoughts, desires, and interests. They might disagree with you. Or, they might start ignoring you.
Little social reactions like this can lead to you latching on and confirming your fears. That maybe you’re just as boring or unintelligent or as incompetent as you might think you are. But that’s not THE TRUTH.
The truth is, other people’s opinions have nothing to do with your actual charm, intelligence, or competence. They don’t control the algorithms that will drive your targeted audience to your content. Algorithms and repetition do.
That’s why it’s important to feel that fear and post anyway. If you try and wait for the fear to dissipate, or believe that the confidence to post will magically spring up one day, you’re waiting for something that is likely not going to happen any time soon.
Dissipation of fear and the resulting confidence only comes from surviving exposure to the thing that scares you. Otherwise known as, exposure therapy!
Waiting for confidence to show up is the quickest way to fail at reaching your goals & dreams
Confidence develops through past evidence. Meaning, your brain needs evidence to show that you will survive the result of whatever it is that you’re afraid of doing. Each time that I post a blog article, a TikTok, or a reel, nothing happens.
This weakens my fear response, and builds confidence for the next time I decide to post. If I were to wait until the fear went away, I would likely wait a lifetime.
Think of all the people you follow online. Social media superstars or others who are sharing their content. You probably aren’t cringed out by them at all. They likely weren’t fearless when they started posting! They were just willing to sit with that uncomfy feeling of fear for much longer than most other people.
When I first started posting my articles on PGM a few years ago, they were nowhere near professional. I still believe my writing is mediocre, at best. But, I have no intention of writing the best prose, the most profound thing you have ever read. I just want to get information out there in the most efficient way out there, in the most accessible way, and to allow me to reach certain goals.
Sometimes it is rushed, and it is never perfect. And the fear that people are making fun of me is ever-present. But I just don’t care anymore.
Importantly: your content is not really about you
I think one of the most freeing realizations is that your content is about the people who needed to hear your thoughts and the people who feel less alone because of what you shared. If you can leave someone just a little bit better than where they started, I think that’s a good purpose to latch onto.
When I’m posting, I remind myself that I don’t need to have the most polished video or writing. I just need to be honest and true to myself and my values.
Creating content provides data to help you grow
Posting content consistently develops data and feedback that will become valuable to you if you plan to grow. Avoiding posting your content just delays your potential for growth. Those who succeed in the content world aren’t necessarily more talented, consistent, or motivated. They are willing to sit with data that might feel like rejection and take it as an opportunity to grow.
Even when you’re about to post, you might hear a voice in the back of your head telling you it needs to be more high quality, more refined, more edited. But perfectionism is still just fear! Don’t let it drive you from sharing to never finishing.
Everytime I post something that takes me literal moments to write or film, don’t fully edit, or think it will flop – it ends up surprising me. Likewise, every time I spend over an hour editing a video, it flops! It’s a pretty consistent phenomenon.
So, every time you push past that fear and just post that content, you develop your self-trust, detachment from the outcome, and resilience to judgment from others. These skills are likely to benefit you for the rest of your life.
Think of how you’ll feel in 20 years if you don’t post
Fear focuses on immediate discomfort. That “immediate discomfort” can turn into days, weeks, months, and years of delaying your potential. This long-term cost can turn into regret.
Not posting your content can deny you the opportunities that could have been, the skills you could have developed, the confidence and the income streams that you could have built.
Trust me, regret in 20 years for all the things you wanted to do, but didn’t, will be much more painful than fear.
It’s helpful to have a goal not to eliminate the fear, but to make it boring. Posting scared, imperfectly, inconsistently leads your brain to feel secure in it. Fear loses its control and routine takes its place. Then, there is room for growth, and this is where your goals live.
Someone out there is waiting for your content
Last but not least: someone is waiting for you to post what you’ve been sitting on. They need those baking or lifting techniques. They want to see a regular student’s morning routine, so that they can improve their own. They want to know how to build an income stream to eventually reach their own financial freedom.
You will never need anyone’s permission or validation. Also, being fearless is not a requirement. You just need to push past that fear and do it anyway, and then do it over and over again.
Wrap up
Thanks so much for reading my article! This journey has been so fulfilling and it is exciting to see this blog and the platforms grow over time. Please remember to subscribe to the blog for additional personal finance and post grad-related tips!