Why you shouldn't worry what others think

When I was a teenager - in fact, right into my 20s too - I worried far too much about what other people thought of me.  Looking back, it was suffocating.  It influenced who I talked to, where I went, what I did, and what I thought was possible for me.  What a waste.  But now that I'm nearly 40 (I figure if I say this often enough it won't be such a shock when October arrives), I'm much less bothered about the opinions of others. I guess I just feel more comfortable in my skin. And that was a very good thing last night. You see I went to my second step aerobics class at my local Virgin Active. OMG! I wore my t-shirt back to front and didn't realise until I stripped off my outer top after the class had started I had to stand right at the front - directly in front of the instructor - because I was the last one to arrive after dropping Aya to her swimming lesson And while I struggled to even lift the 2.5kg weights, everyone else was throwing around at least a 5kg as if it was a feather But do you know what... none of this mattered.  I was at that class FOR ME because I want to get fitter and take better care of my body.  Yes it was hard. In fact I was so knackered that I fell asleep on the sofa by about 9:30 (much to my husband's disgust). But I did my best to keep up. More importantly, I showed up. I didn't allow the toned body of the instructor and the whizzy moves of my fellow class mates to scare me off and sap my confidence.  Because here's the thing... Whenever you start something new you're going to be a little bit rubbish. But you won't stay that way forever. Practice, develop, grow... that's what happens when you invest the effort and do your best.  And it's the same with your message. When you first get the urge to speak up it can feel scary. You can worry what others will think. You can believe that everyone else is much better than you. You can feel that your voice is not important.   If you're not careful, you can allow the fear to overwhelm and shrink you.  In the same way my prowess on the step won't improve unless I get my butt to the class, your message won't gain momentum unless you speak our. That's why my advice is to stop overthinking it. Just commit to showing up. Write. Say what's in your head. Speak from your heart. Tell your truth. Share your story.  Do this and your 'message muscle' will get stronger and pretty soon you'll be making some serious waves all over your niche.  Imagine that :-)  Speak soon. Georgina P.S. If you have a knowing that you have something important to say, but you can't get it out - I can help. I might be rubbish at step aerobics (for now), but I'm seriously good at cutting through the fluff and helping people (just like you) get clarity over what you're all about - and then communicating your message through words.  I'm here when you're ready to chat... Georgina El Morshdy At Gem Writing www.gemwriting.co.uk 07954 580 039 georgina@gemwriting.co.uk Connect with me:   Twitter  |  Facebook  Read the latest "Copywriting Gem" at www.gemwriting.co.uk/blog If you're wondering why you're receiving this email it's because you opted in to something on my website.   I take spam very seriously, but if at any time you've had enough and do not wish to receive further information from me you can let me know by clicking here and I'll remove you immediately (although I hope you won't!). You can also update your subscription preferences here