I honestly believe that most people don’t put themselves out there because they’re afraid of being mocked, belittled, or harassed in the comment section.
If you write a book, someone may give you a 1-star review. If you start a business, someone might give you a negative rating. If you create a video, someone could make fun of the tie you’re wearing.
So instead of dealing with the possibility that we’ll get our feelings hurt, our egos wounded, or our precious work criticized, we censor ourselves before the hecklers remind us why we should have never dared to ship anything in the first place.
It’s an understandable fear, but a tragic one to fall prey to.
Someone has to be the person who takes the risk of creating things and the trolls aren’t going to be the ones to do that. They’re too busing hiding behind the illusion of superiority that comes from turning their noses up at every new idea. It’s their way of feeling powerful without having to face the resistance that real creators face.
I love the way Thomas Sowell puts it:
The beauty of doing nothing is that you can do it perfectly. Only when you do something is it almost impossible to do it without mistakes. Therefore people who are contributing nothing to society, except their constant criticisms, can feel both intellectually and morally superior.
If you want to step forward, you can’t be intimidated by the people who only know how to sit back and shoot things down.
100 years from now, no one is going to remember the guy who made fun of your tie. And they won’t remember you or your creative work either if you allow that guy to be the excuse you use for letting your own dreams die.
I think your contribution is worth the risk of getting a few mean comments. I hope you do too.
