Feel the Fear and Publish Anyway
"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." What a powerful quote this is by Martin Luther King Junior! It all boils down to fear doesn't it? Fear of failure and fear of the unknown. Below I'm going to give you some personal examples with the end result being how I felt the fear and published anyway in the hope that you too might feel inspired to take that first step.
In 2002 I was living in London on a working visa like most good Kiwis. During this time I gave myself a challenge. I wanted to see if I could travel around the Greek Islands and survive for three weeks on 100 pounds (about AU$185). Firstly, I was doing this by myself. I had no-one else to rely on. Secondly, I'd never been there and had little idea of what to expect. So off I went and arrived in Ios. I walked through the town and ended up landing two jobs. My first job involving standing in a restaurant doorway trying to bring in customers. When my shift was finished I was lucky enough to get a delicious Greek meal and a shot of ouzo on top of my wage. My second job was at a local nightclub where again, I would try to encourage customers through the door. For this job, I got free drinks all night so it wasn't exactly hard work! I earnt enough money in Ios to cover my accommodation, meals and ferries around the Islands. If I let fear stop me I never would have gone. I committed to the decision and had one of the best times of my life in the process!
In 2007 I was single, footloose and fancy free. So I spent a LOT of time in the gym. And why not. I didn't have much else to do. By this time I'd been training for many years and wanted to see how far I could push my body… I decided to compete in body sculpting. This wasn't a particularly random decision either. I'd thought about it before but it just never seemed like the 'right' time. After deciding to compete I found an awesome personal trainer with a lot of knowledge and experience. So off I went on a five month long roller coaster ride of training and dieting. I won't lie - it was hard work. DAMN hard work! There were so many times I wanted to give up. But I didn't. I committed and got the job done. If I knew how hard it was going to be I may never have taken that first step. Sometimes it's better not to know....
2007 was a very big year for me! On top of working and training I also decided to buy a house. I had absolutely no idea of the process involved, about mortgages and all of that 'adult' stuff. But every weekend, after finishing work at 6am, I searched through the papers for open homes. I went to hundreds of open homes over a period of months. And just when my enthusiasm was starting to wane I met a real estate agent who took me under his wing and provided me with a lot of great advice. I ended up buying the worst house on the best street. I got it done (and renovated) because I didn't let the fear of what I don't know stop me.
Finally, in 2018 I decided to publish a book. I had no idea how to go about this. I knew there were two methods of publishing - self publishing and traditional publishing. But it wasn't until I went to a seminar at the local library by successful publisher Ocean Reeve that I found out that assisted self publishing even existed!! Hallelujah!! This is just what I had been searching for! So here I am, five months later and with the help of Ocean and his super talented team I'm about to publish my very first children's book 'There's Bug Guts on My Shoe'! Again, this process isn't easy. It involves a LOT of hard work and dedication. But I took that first step and felt the fear and published anyway!
Fear can often stop us from taking that first step. Not knowing what lies ahead is daunting. Failure is daunting. Trust me, I know! But with the right advice, a little bit of direction and a lot of determination I know you too can achieve your dreams!