Blogger James Altucher once said something that had me drop my spoon in my morning yoghurt.
He said, ‘I don’t publish my writing if I don’t feel nervous before doing it.’
Wait, hang on a minute.
Aren’t we supposed to be aiming for a sense of confidence in our work?
Isn’t life about steering clear of potential criticism?
Aren’t we far happier without inviting in the heckles of displeased readers?
Fortunately, I took his words to heart.
And it transformed not only my writing, but how I navigated this chaotic reality.
Many of us are so stunted by the possibility that we be made out a fool that we are greatly limited, often without realising it.
And we operate this way because we place undue weight on the opinions and assessments of others.
If we genuinely believe that criticism can harm us in real ways, we’re actually fairly screwed.
Because people will judge.
I won’t sugarcoat it as most gurus do. People really do judge.
And they will judge what you have to say.
The issue is not whether they will but how you respond to this truth.
