It doesn’t matter whether it’s applying for a job, telling someone you like them or sharing a project you really care about, putting yourself out there for the world to judge can be a terrifying thing.
No one wants to feel like they’ve failed, or no one cares about their dreams.
Since I’ve been crowdfunding for my novel, I’ve been way, way out of my comfort zone.
In fact, I’ve gone so far out of my usual reluctant realm that I’ve actually started to enjoy it. And I’ve learned a few things too.
Self-confidence
At some point during this process, I realised that the worst of my self-doubt had faded. I’ve actually come to accept myself as a writer, with a career and a future. I’m a person who can string a sentence together. Those sentences might not always be good, but I have the tools to improve them.
I might not have reached my funding target yet and I might not have hundreds or thousands of supporters, but I’m pretty proud of how far I have managed to take this campaign.
I’ve been on the radio twice to talk about my book and I’ve harped on about myself endlessly on social media. It wasn’t awful. Nobody told me to shut up.
Crowdfunding has helped me feel more confident in other areas of my life too.
Rejection doesn’t have to be painful
I’ve always hated to ask for help or money or for people to do something I want, just in case they say no and my feelings are hurt, or I feel guilty for asking.
But crowdfunding has forced me to do that over and over again. I’ve sent messages to friends and family and former colleagues, people I haven’t seen in years who I sometimes only have the vaguest connection to.
And so many of them have responded by buying a copy of my book.
Of course, there are also plenty of people who have ignored me, but I’ve surprised myself by how easily I’ve been able to shrug that off and move on to the next thing.
No one has shouted at me, or told me off, or made me feel bad that I’m essentially asking them to part with their cash to support my dream. People can be okay.
Being brave can lead to good things
If you persevere, things will eventually start to happen. Sometimes it’s a numbers game, or you might have to find the person or the job that’s the right fit for you. Maybe the process of trying and failing will help you to improve and learn, until you reach the point where you get more positive responses than negative.
By trying, you’re already doing better than the people who are afraid to put themselves out there.
And trust me; you’ll feel a lot better about yourself if you try. Even if it takes a while to get over the first rejection, or the second, or the third, eventually you’ll reach a point where you’re proud of your achievements, because you know what it took to get to this point.
And on that note, if you’d like to find out more about my book or maybe buy a copy, you can do that on the Unbound website. Thanks for reading!