Are You Afraid of Making the Wrong Decision?

Are You Afraid of Making the Wrong Decision?

“Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong.”

- Peter T. Mcintyre

May I share something that’s more than a tiny bit embarrassing about myself with you? For many years, I feared that my secret superpower was this: If I made the wrong decision or took the wrong action the world itself would come to a speedy, complete, and painful end.

And I’m hardly exaggerating. And it’s not a fear I’m entirely rid of these days, though I try to keep it from stopping me as often.

Maybe your concern with right and wrong isn’t nearly as far-reaching as mine, but I suspect you still feel it, at least a bit. After all, publishing a newsletter is a lot like public speaking–you’re standing up in front of thousands of people, vulnerable, trying to say something of some importance in a relatable, likeable way.

What can you do if you do indeed worry about getting things wrong in your newsletter?

Don’t bother with worst-case scenarios.

Have you ever gotten this advice? To think of the worst thing that could happen and let yourself realize that you could handle whatever that may be?

I’ve never found this to work, myself. Because whatever I come up with is fraught with drama and intensity.

So, I suggest you don’t both with wondering what the worst thing that could happen is. It might be that every single person on your newsletter list will unsubscribe and you’ll receive so many *spam* complaints that your website host will fine you hundreds of thousands of dollars and…

How is that fun?

Instead of focusing on worst-case scenarios, just let them go. Every time your mind starts to engage you in a match of abounding creativity, simply allow it. It’s not that you’ll handle those *spam* complaints and fines, but rather that you’ll be in jail. It’ll just be true. That’s all.

(I’m not saying you’ll actually be in jail, just that that was the inevitable outcome of the worst-case scenario we were exploring.)

Practice makes it easier.

Just as public speaking becomes easier with practice, so to does newsletter publishing. I don’t think you ever lose that sense of vulnerability, but I do think you become more comfortable with it. It feels less and less terrifying because you’ll know you’ve done it successfully.

Those repeated successes build confidence over time. When you’re just starting out, any one mistake is a much bigger deal because, percentage-wise, it actually *is* a bigger part of what you’ve done. If you send out three newsletters and make mistakes in two of them, you’ve made mistakes 2/3rds of the time. But, after you’ve published five newsletters, those two mistakes are only 2/5ths of what you’ve done.

For your first few issues, this may offer little comfort, but know that it is worth continuing on and that it does indeed get easier as you publish more often.

Always be yourself.

You started your newsletter because you had something important to share with your readers. The only way to share that message effectively is to “be yourself,” cliche though that may be.

There really is strength, though, in sharing what you know to be true. By communicating what, when, and how only you can communicate genuinely, your message will inherently have value and a presence only you can bring.

In some ways, it’s a lot more scary to be yourself with your readers–if they don’t like you, you can’t say it’s just that they don’t like the persona you present if you’re not presenting a persona. But, this kind of communication is also richer, more rewarding, and a lot more fun.

If, like me, you find yourself worrying about being wrong, try out these three steps for yourself. I think you’ll find they help you bring your newsletter to a new place, build stronger connections with your readers, and build your strength for future newsletters.