Plucking up the courage to start a blog or joining a conversation by commenting is not easy. For many of us, it means stepping out of our comfort zones – comments and blogs are, after all, easily found by the all seeing eye of Google; and you never know whether you might face a backlash or become embroiled in a heated discussion. But while it’s easy to sit in the shadows and read a blog – there really are great rewards for those who step into the spotlight.
Some time ago, Todd Andrlik suggested that I read Step into the Spotlight by Tsufit. The book appealed to me because of my background in theatre – so when Tsufit asked me to share a personal story about stepping into the spotlight, I couldn’t resist. In this guest post I share the trepidation I had when first commenting on Russell Davies’ blog.
I am sure you know what it’s like … “am I smart enough”, “is this witty”, “will I get flamed?” … all ran through my head. But in the end, it was the best thing I could have done.
Gavin,
I had never really thought of this before your post and Susan Mazza’s subsequent comment, but it’s true, comment anxiety is kinda like fear of public speaking especially when you are “public speaking” to the whole world (and not just now in a dimly lit auditorium, but for eternity) with the click of a button.
I better wrap up this comment before I say something dopey that won’t stand the test of time…or did I do that already…
and what about that heady moment when someone makes the very first comment on your blog? It was just as nerve racking!