Writer's Block or Just Fear of Failure?

It's been a month since my last blog entry. It's not always easy for me to click "publish". I make endless lists in my head about what I will write about and tell myself that this is the day that I will write. I draft these ideas, second guess myself and click delete.

I don't think of myself as someone with a loss for words and most days I'm pretty good at conveying my message, but lately I have been feeling really insecure about how my blog is perceived and asking myself -

1. Why am I afraid of failure?
2  Who is my audience?
3. Will my readers like what I write?
5. What causes one to stop and read a particular blog?
6. I wish my blog was as good as so & so's. How can I make mine just as interesting?
7. Do people want advice, tips or stories? All of the above?
8. Where can I find inspiration?
9. Why am I here and what does this all mean?

Okay, #9 is an exaggeration, but you get the point. Clearly, from the list of questions, my problem is not writer's block. It's simply 2 parts fear of failure and 1 part fear of not being liked. As a business owner, I want you to discover my product line, visit my website and purchase products. As me, Jennifer, I want you to get to know me and like who I am. I want you to comment on my entries as a way for me to know you. I love people and I love to please. In a lot of ways that is why I am on the greeting card business. Greeting cards make people happy. They give people a sense of being thought of and liked. When someone buys my cards they feel confident that the recipient will feel thought of liked, or even loved.

Do you own a Twitter or a Facebook account? Don't you just love when someone "Likes" your post, "retweets" your tweet or "follows" you? What is it about all those actions that gets us so excited? There are days when I seemingly can't stop checking the stats and comparing them to others - A BIG MISTAKE! I am certain that these actions are the source of my blogger-low self esteem. I convinced myself that these numbers meant something; as if numbers were representative of who I am and the products I produce. I forgot why I became interested in social media in the first place. So what changed? What caused me to return to my blog? I realized that:

1. I love sharing articles about design, typography, the arts and other topics.
2. I love sharing/introducing new products through various social media channels.
3. I enjoy meeting my customers and staying in touch with friends.
4. I love gaining knowledge and seeking out information through other's tweets, blogs and Facebook pages.

My worries and insecurities take the enjoyment out of one of my favorite daily activities. I realized that failure would be not trying at all. Failure would be abandoning my blog and letting the numbers and worries get the best of me. Fear of failure is unhealthy and unproductive. Fear of failure would be never giving myself the chance to succeed and grow.

I think Theodore Roosevelt said it best  

"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed."

Today is the first day of letting go of my fears. I have many ideas and many stories and designs to share with you. Let it be said that there will be days that I just won't have anything poignant or brilliant to say but that I will surely not be afraid to fail.