If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you probably have seen that I recently challenged myself to post something on Instagram every day for 30 days. 

Why? Well, I got a bit stuck in a rut and needed to do something to push myself out of my comfort zone.

I usually find that small, tangible challenges do wonders for my creativity, motivation and confidence. 

I chose an Instagram challenge, because it’s very public (hello accountability!) and because I’m not the kind of person who’d normally post on Instagram or social media every day. So, making a public commitment to post something every day for 30 days felt pretty uncomfortable. Lots of thoughts raced through my head. 

Would I have enough to say or share?
Wouldn’t my posts get repetitive and boring? 
What would people think of the stuff I’d written and the photos I’d posted? Would it be too much? 
Would I come across like a wannabe influencer? 

Thoughts like these aren’t entirely new to me, but I know I’m not alone in this. Anytime anyone does something that pushes them out of their comfort zone, an inner dialogue of some sorts happens. 

The question is: do we allow this to stop us? Do we listen to thoughts of self-doubt? Do we let thoughts of not being good enough, thoughts of not fitting in, dictate what we do?

Do we give power to our fears of standing out, of being found out, of being judged?

Unfortunately the answer is often yes. 

Too often we let fear take control. 

If that sounds painfully true, let me just say, I’m not here to judge or berate you. Neither should you do so yourself. 

It’s just a big shame if we let it happen too often. You have something to give to this world. You have something to share. 

One of my failproof strategies to stop letting fear take control is by publicly committing to do that which scares you. You don’t have to share it with the world via Instagram, like I did. You can share it with a friend. Tell your other half, your sibling, your grandfather. Share it in the comments below. I tell you, it works. 

Try it.  

Then watch what happens. Watch how you slowly but surely overcome your fear. Watch what lessons you learn about the process and about yourself. Often this is where the really good stuff happens. 

It’s not so much about the result, but about the journey there. 

Apart from getting my mojo back and making the first steps in overcoming my fear of sharing my work with the world, here are two other things I’ve learnt through my Instagram challenge.  

People judge, it’s got nothing to do with you

Most of us spend way too much time worrying about what other people think of us, we worry that they will judge us if we do something new or unconventional. I hate to bring it to you, but people judge. All the time. It happens whether you like it or not, whether you do something new or unconventional or not. Someone judging you is as likely to happen as the sun setting tonight. 

Now, please don’t let that scare you. Instead I want you to feel liberated. 

How? Well, once you realise that you’ll be judged no matter what you do and that it’s got absolutely nothing to do with you, you’re free. Free to do those things you’ve been wanting to do, but have been putting off out of fear of judgement. 

Don’t wait for inspiration to find you, go create it yourself

We often feel that Inspiration comes and goes in waves. There are times when we feel super inspired and times when we don’t.

While that might be true, I prefer to think of inspiration as a muscle. The more we use it, the stronger it gets. Conversely, the less we use it, the weaker it gets. 

While I believe it’s a good idea to take a short break every now and then, I also believe that those breaks should be short & sweet. If you feel low in inspiration, don’t wait for inspiration to find you. Don’t let that week turn into a month turn into a year. Get back to work. Write, create, record, produce. 

Inspiration will return so much quicker if you keep on showing up and doing the work. 

Pretty cool that all of this came from a silly challenge to post something on Instagram every day for 30 days, right? 

Now it’s your turn! 

What have you been stalling on lately? What have you been putting off or been too scared to do? Set a day challenge around that and make sure you share it with someone. Then, go f*cking do it. 

I’d be ever so honoured if you’d share it with me in the comments below. 

PS do you want to go to bed feeling fulfilled and proud of the work you do and the impact you make, every.single.day? Not sure how to make that happen? Then you need to sign up for Start Doing Work You Love pronto. It’s my brand new 4-week email series to help you find more fulfilling and meaningful work right now. Sign up NOW as I’m offering it completely free for a short period of time, so get in there before the doors close.