Are People Really Interested in What I Have to Say?

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I’ve always been a writer. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been scribbling down stories on random pieces of paper or filling up notebooks with endless ideas. And blogging has always been something that has interested me. Way back when I was a naive coed, I thought I was going to be writer for a magazine or online publication. It had been my career goal since junior year of high school.

So why did it take me so long to start my blog? Well, for one thing, I realized that working for a magazine wasn’t really for me. No offense to anyone in the industry, but I just wouldn’t fit in there. And then there was my senior year internship working for a travel website. I wrote editorial content for family travelers. It was wonderful. Even as an intern I got to write articles, attend industry events and even got to travel. But the travel writing field wasn’t the easiest to break into after graduation. The website I interned with wasn’t hiring and many similar companies didn’t think I had enough experience.

I went a different path and pursued more of the public relations side of things. In grad school, I dreamed of working for a travel PR agency. It would be glamorous and fun. But again, I lacked experience and couldn’t break into the industry. Through several years of working, I was able to garner enough experience through different roles to land a very decent job in the communications field.

Yet, I still have a hankering for writing. Why am I telling you all this? If you have figured it out, I’m obviously an egotistical millennial who thinks everyone cares about my life. Not really. In fact, even as I’m typing this, I’m anxiously thinking “Are people really interested in what I have to say?”  

Probably not. I’m not trying to be dramatic, but who really cares what I wanted to be when I grow up? It doesn’t really matter, except that maybe you’re in a similar boat. Maybe you’ve thought about starting a blog or another side hobby. And maybe you’ve doubted yourself, too. I don’t want to conjecture here, but I can’t possibly be the only person in the world who has just a smidge of self-doubt. Just a smidge.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter, though. I may be writing to no one right now, but I’m doing something that I love. I may not be the best at blogging, but I’m learning and growing as a blogger. I may question the value of my content, but I don’t know until I put it out there.

So here’s the deal. Sometimes in life we need to put ourselves out there to see results. Even if this venture doesn’t hit it big, I won’t know until I try. Even if three people are reading this (hi, mom, dad and Cody!), it’s better than keeping it all to myself.

I recently read an awesome novel called the The Paris Wife by Paula McLain. It’s a phenomenal story about Ernest Hemingway and his wife Hadley while he was trying to make it big as a writer in the 1920s. While it’s historical fiction, the story is effortlessly relatable to anyone in their 20s trying to make it in the world. Whether we’re talking about your dream job or your love life or your side hobby, this book dives into the lives of a famous couple before they were famous.

I’m not implying that to “make it” you need to be rich and famous. Of course not. But you need to believe in yourself. You need to have faith that your passions are worth it. You need to realize your worth without outside validation.  

It’s so important for us to know that we add value to the world, even when no one else is looking. I’ve always believed in myself, but I still held myself back. Why? Because I didn’t know if anyone else believed in me. But that doesn’t matter, really. Even if I’m writing for no one, I’m still writing for myself. And that’s important to me.

Since I mentioned Ernest Hemingway, I thought it apt to use one of his quotes:

“The shortest answer is doing the thing.”

And how apt it is. If I haven’t said it enough, I tend to overthink. And here I am writing an article questioning if anyone cares about what I have to say. But Hemingway is right. The mentality should be to just get on with it. Just go and do it. Failure would be to not try at all. Trying is the courageous thing to do. We cannot learn unless we try, and some of the best lessons are learned when we don’t get it right the first time.

Do you tend to overthink your passions? How do you overcome self-doubt? I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below.