Do you fear being in the spotlight

Sometimes you feel you are the only person who believes in your dream. You may have a burning desire to leave a legacy, to expand your influence, but then doubt wraps itself around your vision.

🧑🏫You wonder if your writing will ever be good enough. Secretly, you may fear you are going to make a fool of yourself, like one of those kids who has a “Kick me!” sign pinned to their back.

It can make you feel like all your flaws are in the spotlight. Flashbacks of your English teacher slashing through your workwith their red pen may paralyse you. Sometimes it is easier to keep your fears to yourself and make all sorts of excuses about why now is not the right time to write that book. The one that will be a testimony to your life’s work.

The fear of vulnerability can ironically hinder speakers or industry leaders who need to be visible.

I’ve witnessed this as a book coach as I journey with them. Founders and leaders are not immune to this sort of anxiety. I know I felt it when I started writing.

No-one wants to be laughed at or tarnish their hard earned reputation. Some of my book coaching and publishing clients share some appalling “little voice” statements with me. Sometimes it is an external voice and sometimes it is internal.

These “mindset attack” statements include:

😟Who would ever want to read your book?

😟I am going to write a book that no one will read. That will take the pressure off.

😟This is just an expensive business card.

😟I have been writing this book for ten years and I have still got more to do.

😟You can not earn a living from writing a book.

These statements are all a reflection of self-limiting mindsets.

Comments like these remind me of a character in one of my favourite children’s books Bramlee Bears by Dr. V Gilbert Beers. One character keeps on telling the other Bears, “You can’t get there from here.” He was annoyingly pessimistic and seemed hell bent on stifling everyone’s dream and sense of purpose. But these judgments come from his own anxieties about the future. The book reminded me that while we have to have a balance of people in our lives, dreams in their infancy should only be shared with certain types of people.

📙“But what if my book is bad?”you may protest. Once it is out there, it is something permanent that will leave a lasting impression. I agree. You should not blindly bulldoze forward into something that could harm you.

Every project you undertake has the potential to hurt an established credible brand. This is true for all new ventures.

However, just like you learned skills in your field, writing and book marketing is a skill that can be learned. Book coaches and editors are there to help you along the way.

As a book coach, I support speakers, leaders, and coaches in crafting their legacy message and help them through the book writing process. The thing they fear could be the very thing that amplifies their message and helps them to leave a lasting legacy. Not just one while after they die. A living legacy. One that has the power to create ripple effects right now.

Legacy is the vision for your life even if you don’t yet realise it. One of the first commands to humans was “Go forth, be fruitful and multiply.” It is part of my vision, which is why I created a YouTube channel. It helps me provide my book coaching clients with a professionally filmed and edited video so they can spread their message.

Writing does not have to be lonely. With a vision and the right team, you can leave a living legacy for now and yes, for when you are gone.