Fear is just a self-doubt hooker dressed in an evening gown. It may look like the real deal, but no matter how you dress it up, it’s still trash. Here’s my story:
I recently wrote a dozen or so radio commercials.
Big whoop, you say. People write radio spots every day.
True dat.
But not me.
I sell insurance. I do not write radio commercials for a living. So yeah- kind of a big deal to me……
I’m not an ad agency that does it for a living. I don’t have the “best practices”, “tips & tricks” or a step-by-step tutorial for “how to write a radio commercial.” I am not in “the business”, as it were.
I didn’t realize I would be the one writing the commercials. And I was scared shitless when I figured it out.
Talk about stopping in your tracks. I panicked. I kept saying, “I’m not in radio.” “I’m not a professional copywriter.” “I’m not……” “I’m not……..” ” I’m not…….” And you want to know something interesting? If you keep saying “I’m not” all the time, you “won’t.” It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. You flat out convince yourself you can’t learn, you can’t grow, you can’t do.
My favorite motto and one I say often- “If you stop learning, you stop living.”
A funny thing happens when you decide to say “What the hell?:
I’m fully aware that these commercials will not earn me a spot in the advertising and marketers hall of fame. There will be many who say, “But Carrie, didn’t you waste your time? A professional could have done so much better.” When your budget is limited, professionals are usually out of reach. That’s my situation. Second, I learned valuable skills- I NEVER think that is a waste of time. I’ll just keep polishing and should be able to do the next set in half the time. Practice makes perfect right?
I tackled the beast. I lassoed and hogtied it and finished it off with a nice, shiny bow. I embraced fear.
I’m the better for it. And if you remember nothing else from this post, remember this:
Fear of trying and fear of doing are two separate items. But if you let your fear of trying overtake you, you’ll never get to “do.”
And that’s not learning my friends. And it’s definitely not living….. And I want much better for you.