Afraid Of Becoming An Influencer? Here's How to Beat Your Fear

It’s not like you don’t have anything to say.People ask for your advice all the time.They seek out your expertise.They want your opinion.They find your ideas interesting.Your brain is bursting with knowledge, but you haven’t gotten a grip on it. Not yet.The truth is, your inner compass is leading you down the path of leadership, but you’re resisting the path for one very clear reason: FEAR.Fear is making excuses that are keeping you from achieving full success.And while fear disguises itself in many forms, some forms stir the pot more than others. These are the top 3 fears that talented individuals have about becoming an Influencer...plus insight on how you can give yourself permission to beat them once and for all.

The 3 Self-Defeating Scripts And How To Overcome Them

1. Failing To Live Up To Expectations

It boils down to this: you’re not sure if you’ll live up to your own expectations. With great power comes great responsibility, and as an Influencer, your words and actions will have a bigger impact on the people around you.When people regard you as an Influencer, they will put you on a pedestal.They expect you to motivate them. They expect you to create positive change. They expect you to give expert guidance.And what’s worse, people will start comparing you to other Influencers. You might even struggle with Imposter Syndrome. (Feeling like a poser.)If you fail to make a positive impact on others, you will have failed at what you set out to accomplish: influencing people.

Be BOLD: Overcome Fear #1

You’re afraid of the responsibilities that come with becoming an Influencer, but instead of backing down from responsibility, it’s time for you to rise up.You thrive under pressure and no one has higher expectations of yourself than you. So knock it off and kick that downtalk to the curb.How many times have you taken on new challenges in the past? For your business, for your health, for your family. And you killed it, right? You have the capacity to do that for yourself now.There’s an audience waiting to hear your message, and it’s your responsibility to reach them. People love to seek inspiration from leaders and role models. They always have and always will.If nothing else, remember that the message your audience needs to hear is more important than your fear. Don’t deprive people of the lessons you’ve learned because you got scared.

2. Afraid To Be Seen

This should really go without saying, but you can’t be an Influencer behind an anonymous monkey avatar on Wordpress.

There’s a lot of vulnerability that goes into making yourself visible, which is why many people fear being seen.What if people argue with you? What will people think of you? What if you say something wrong? What will they think about your message? Do they even care about what you have to say?This is your reputation on the line, after all.RELATED: How People Really Judge You When Googling Your Name

Be BOLD: Overcome Fear #2

Here’s the thing: you know exactly who you are, so why on earth would you allow others to shake you?Yes, you care deeply about what others think. That’s the whole point: to deploy enormous amounts of empathy to others so that you get through to them.

But never become a victim of your compassion by suffocating your voice. You know yourself and you’re the bomb… show people what’s up.By documenting your experiences and positioning them in a way that benefits your audience, you’re staying true to yourself and representing yourself authentically.The world’s greatest leaders have all faced this dilemma: who am I to lead the fight?If your answer is who better than I to lead the fight, then you know your calling. And that can’t be done in private.

3. Don’t Know How To Make Your Voice Heard

You’ve got killer ideas and experiences to share. You know what to say and who to say it to, but you don’t know how to get people to listen. You need their attention.Let’s not beat around the bush: attention is the lifeblood of Influencers in the digital age. It’s not a cute form of generosity. It’s your currency.Gaining attention in the digital age is a painful process requiring you to constantly create and publish content, be active on social media, have a strong online and offline network, connect and entertain your network (great post on that here), and so much more.Who has time for all that when you’ve got an organization to run?Better to feel disdain for what you can’t achieve. (It’s law #36 in Robert Greene’s “48 Laws of Power”: Disdain things you cannot have).

Be BOLD: Overcome Fear #3

Law #36 is actually the reason why you have the opportunity of becoming an Influencer - because so many entrepreneurs and executives have turned themselves off social media without even trying.Pretend for a second that you could build a team around you to optimize your time and help you create content at scale. You’d eliminate the painful process of negotiating for your audience’s attention. You’re now left with an opportunity to employ your voice to make a powerful impact on others and your future.Is being one of the most well-known people in your niche the best arbitrage for you to reach your goals?If it is, then you can step into this blue ocean strategy where the waters are untainted because your competitors have already talked themselves out of it.People are watching because they’re fascinated by what YOU have to say. Don’t let your fears keep you from reaching your audience.RELATED: Why You Should Not Become An Influencer