“Confidence is key.”
You’ve most likely heard that phrase a million times in your
life, and there’s a good reason you have, it’s applicable to practically every
aspect of life.
It takes a lot of confidence to show up for yourself and others.
Sometimes, that means something as simple as introducing yourself to someone
new, even when you aren’t sure they’ll want to talk to you.
Other times, it means raising your hand in class when you’re
not comfortable or confident in your answer or putting yourself forward for an
opportunity that feels just a little out of reach. These moments may seem small,
but they all require the same thing: to believe in yourself enough to try.
That new person you decided to talk to may become your best
friend. That answer (whether right or wrong) may be the spark of the biggest
class discussion. That opportunity you reached for could actually come true.
Confidence will always be key.
Writing is yet another thing that takes confidence to do;
whether you’re writing in a journal or diary, or an essay for one of your classes,
but especially when it comes to writing for a national website. Because you
never know who just might take a peek at some of your pieces, even the ones you
aren’t expecting to gain traction.
Isn’t that part of what it’s all about though? The chance at
someone taking notice of and enjoyment in your work.
Of course, any author wants to attract readers—that’s why they
publish—but that’s different from allowing those readers’ (and even non-readers’)
reactions and opinions to determine the value of what you create.
When you publish your work to a site such as Her Campus,
something that started as your thought now belongs in a public space.
There is the possibility of complete strangers finding and reading what you’ve
written.
You want those readers to connect with, laugh at, think
about, and maybe even remember what you put out. Her Campus was created to be
an uplifting space to female writers. But writing shouldn’t become an exercise
in trying to please everyone.
Unlike a journal that can be kept hidden under a pillow and
most class essays that are only seen by a professor, so many others have access
to the content put onto the Her Campus website. It can feel like you’re being stripped
of your privacy, all the blinds, curtains, and doors are open.
But why should that matter? In this situation, you are in
control.
You get to decide what words you use to say what’s on your
mind. You get to decide which parts of yourself you share, which stories you
tell, and which thoughts you are willing to let someone else read.
You write to express yourself. And that’s an extremely
vulnerable task…but maybe those blinds, those curtains, and those doors aren’t
as wide open as you once perceived. Maybe they’re simply open enough to let someone
see in—and that’s a choice you made.
Confidence really is key—not because confident people aren’t
afraid, but because they don’t let the possibility of rejection stop them from showing
up. Don’t let your fear of what’s outside the window keep you from opening your
blinds, even just a little.