I’ve just returned from Blogworld Expo. It was my second time attending this content rich conference, complete with amazing connections with folks I’ve known online for years and random encounters with like minds — all conversations that get your mind jogging in a multitude of ways, both  personally and professionally.

There are many highlights from the conference that I hope to cover in posts to come, but more than anything, attending the conference really allowed me to put some things into perspective. Like, what happened to my desire and commitment to blogging?

Thursday’s afternoon keynote Mark Burnett, executive producer for shows Survivor and The Apprentice (to name a few), nailed a thread that runs through everything in life when he said,

“The need to be certain causes paralysis.”

While he used this in the context of how new media is changing the television broadcast landscape in terms of how he, and inevitably the rest of the world, tells stories to a global audience, this concept touches about everything. From our personal lives and growth as humans to how effectively we communicate or attempt to move the digital needle in our respective agencies, organizations and the like… and the list goes on. Uncertainty, or the inability to know the outcome of the actions we take (or would like to take), single-handedly can kill or disallow birth of really cool stuff.

Lesson in Progress

I started this blog in late November of last year with the intent to blog on a weekly basis. I’ve blogged 11 times in the past year and while math is not a strong suit of mine, 11 times in a year is far less than once a week.

But… I had good intentions.

• Blog focus that I felt qualified to speak to based on my experience and knowledge base, passion and pace at which I am constantly learning.
• Saw a need in my community to talk about things that I was experiencing as a young digital communicator.
• Share in hopes of being a catalyst for conversations to take shape that would help me and others learn and grow.
• Become a better writer through blogging
  

So… what happened?

• I was worried that it wouldn’t be perfect.  –Never is. Not possible. Practice makes us better, but we’ll never achieve perfection. If we did, what kind of fun would that be?
• I worried that what I had to say didn’t matter in the context of the greater conversations and amazing publishers of the blogosphere. –Well, if that’s the case, I’m sure a number of people will tell me, so no need to take it upon only myself to judge.
• I was worried that you weren’t going to like me. –Some do, some won’t and that’s just how the cookie crumbles. Gotta love pride and ego.
  

In essence, I. WAS. SCARED. And because I was uncertain of how my blog would be received by the world, I slowly progressed into a place where creating content based on my original intent became an afterthought and often an excuse-filled discussion with those who cared enough to ask me why I wasn’t writing.

 

Fear is a marvelous thing. It is innate in humans. If it were not a part of us, “we would run out in the middle of the road and get hit by a car,” as a friend of mind says. This is the good kind of fear.

Then there is the other kind. The kind that manifests itself and can often dictate our course if we’re not equipped, willing to or ready to walk courageously through it, which requires a lot of honesty and quite a bit of faith. It affects or, if you prefer, infects us on various levels depending upon our ability to regularly address what we’re fearful of and take the action necessary to get through it. In my experience, the more you walk through it, faith strengthens and the ability to take on, tackle and address things without ‘knowing the outcome’ becomes a far easier errand. While something I seek on a personal level regularly, my ability to apply this professionally is a bit trickier for me.

So what?

Well, sometimes we need a refresher on life’s little lessons and various people are placed somewhere at the time we are particularly receptive to hear what it is we need to hear. Hopefully, we’re ready to take action as well. While what Burnett said is not earth shattering or new, it’s one of those concepts that as humans (or certainly, this human) struggle with regularly because we all want to do great work, make cool stuff, be liked, never screw up and once more, the list goes on.

It was just the thing I needed to hear in order to post something and reassess my commitment to sharing the work that I do and my take on communications from where I sit.

Don’t let your uncertainties paralyze you from doing everything you want to do, whatever that means. I’m serious *smile*.