Why Are We So Afraid to Put Our Work Out There?

Making the thing is only half the battle.

Sometimes the hardest part is letting someone else see it.

You can spend weeks—or months—working on a pattern, a book, a painting, a business idea, a novel, or some other creative project. You tweak it. You edit it. You convince yourself it needs just one more thing.

And then you realize…

Oh.

Now I actually have to put it out there. 😳

That’s when the questions start.

What if nobody likes it?

What if people criticize it?

What if it fails?

What if people compare it to someone else’s work?

And sometimes the biggest question of all is: What if it actually works?

In this episode of Real Talk with Tian, I’m talking about why putting our work into the world can be so uncomfortable, and what we can do when fear starts keeping us stuck.

Because perfectionism can look a lot like preparation.

Sometimes “I’m not ready yet” really means “I’m scared.”

And sometimes the only way to find out what happens is to hit publish.

So if you have a project sitting somewhere that you’ve been afraid to share, consider this your little nudge.

Your work doesn’t have to be perfect to be worth putting into the world.

Watch the new episode of Real Talk with Tian and come talk to me about it.

What’s something you’ve been afraid to put out there? And what would it mean if it turned out okay?