Facing our fears can be a very difficult situation. When I was introduced to blogging on Hive, I had this fear of self-doubt and anxiety. You know that feeling of being in a new place for the first time without knowing anyone to direct you on where to go and how to do things; such experience can be frustrating and comes with so much anxiety. That was the same way I felt. I struggled finding my niche, and with lots of articles I came across, it gave me doubt of belonging to the world of bloggers.
For almost a year, my account was dormant with sometimes a once-in-a-blue-moon posting allowing doubt to cover me. That fear of how I would share my experience in a meaningful way with others loomed. Would others find my content worthwhile? Could I measure up to the standard set by communities on Hive? These were what my mind was clouded with.
However, with the constant support and encouragement of my onboarder @justinpencilz, I found the motivation to stand up to my fear. His constant singing to me that Hive is a place that accommodates both learners and experts was a booster. With his words, I decided to confront my fear, and that was how I discovered some writing communities.
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During my high school days, I remember how my friends and I practiced writing and hoped to publish those short stories written in exercise books someday. The knowledge that I can go digital was another encouragement I had. Reading and understanding the communities' rules, engaging with others' writings, and following other users whose writing styles I admire gave me the confidence to trust in my own abilities.
Gradually, I found where I should start from. With each engagement, I was able to scare those fears away and began sharing my life experiences and thoughts with others. It was at that time I realized there are no two ways to overcome anything other than just being myself and doing it in my own best efforts. With this, I saw myself relating with others in a way I never imagined.
The aftermath of facing my fear was self-improvement and confidence. I did not only overcome my fear, but overcoming it gave me the confidence to trust myself till date. I can't say I have completely overcome this fear because sometimes, I can see a prompt, and I allow that self-doubt of not knowing what to pen down to make me miss it. Sometimes when this happens, I just encourage myself by telling myself “my brain is stuck and needs rest.” That is my way of praising myself and not working myself out, but not letting that persist is a clear sign on my part that I am still aiming for self-growth.
What can I say in short, I am glad the experience led me to facing my fear. With this, fear won, and having found my place in the blogging world, I can now boldly try any writing task that comes my way. The whole experience taught me a lesson of being courageous. Standing strong and taking action on whatever challenge we find ourselves in is a step to overcoming it. It's one thing to be determined, and it's another to show how determined we are by standing up to facing that challenge.