How to Overcome the Fear That You Have Nothing of Value to Say

When I considered starting my blog, my biggest hesitation was the difficulty of coming up with something of value to write about each and every week.  What in the heck could I have to say that would matter to people? 

I decided to sit down and write out a list of possible topics to get me started.  In my first hour of doing this, I came up with 57 topics.  Then I asked two of my team members to help me add to the list.  I asked them to help me recollect some of the things that I have repeated often, trained others on, struggled with and celebrated.  Within 30 minutes my list climbed to 97 topics. 

This really helped me to jump into blogging.  No more fear of having to sit there and contrive something insightful and valuable to say each and every week.  I had a list of topics to keep me busy for a year! 

If you are struggling with this same fear, spend an hour or so writing down every lesson that you have learned that has helped you get to where you are in your career or life.  Write down the victories and the failures.  Include as many topics as you can.  Don’t worry about having the catchiest title or categorizing them at this stage.  Just do a complete brain dump and you will be surprised and maybe even amazed by what you come up with.

Then, look to those who know you well for additional suggestions.  You may find that something simple you have taken for granted has made a powerful impact on someone close to you.

Creating my list showed me that, because of what I get to do each and every day as a coach, I have plenty of stories and insights that I have learned from many of you, my clients.  So thank you!  What you have shared with me has given me ammunition to help many others.

As Seth Godin says in Tribes, our world needs more strong leaders with a point of view.  What you have learned can be shared to positively impact so many lives.

For any of you thinking about enhancing your brand through social networking, you now have my first blogging tip.  I hope it helps a few of you to jump on into the conversation!

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1. Daniel Harkavy Has a Blog?

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Yup, I said it all because I truly believed it all.  I was Saul persecuting and mocking all you Blackberry, iPhone, Twits… I mean Twitterers.  Then came last month’s Building Champions Experience.  Two things happened to me while I was there that forever changed my view on this growing social and technological movement.

The first is that I listened to my friend, publisher and Building Champions client Mike Hyatt, speak to the audience on the power of social networking.  Mike’s personal blog has more than 60,000 unique visitors per month and he has more than 40,000 followers on Twitter.  He started blogging long before it was called blogging.  The guy knows what he’s talking about.   He has been encouraging me to enter into this world for quite some time, but at The Experience I think his (and others’) strong encouragements really struck me.

I felt like I was the only person in the audience and that he was speaking directly to me, the biggest naysayer.   As he addressed the group, here’s how the conversation played out in my head:

MIKE:  “Harkavy, isn’t your company’s purpose to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of people?”

ME:  “Yes, of course it is.”

MIKE:  “And do you not see that your coaching goes very deep with a select few, and your books go less deep but add value to the masses?”

ME:  “Yes Mike, I do.”

MIKE:  “And do you see how the lessons you have learned over the past 20 plus years as a coach could add value to even more people if they could just have easy and regular access to it?”

ME:  “Yeah Mike, I guess so.”

MIKE:  “Now Daniel, do you see that one of your primary functions as a CEO is to network?  And that you spend all sorts of time and money doing it in person or via phone each and every day, all around the world?”

ME:  “Yes Mike, I do.”

MIKE:  “Then Daniel, if all of this is true, why are you not adding value to the masses while networking with the world at virtually no cost from the comfort of your home office?”

Okay Mike, I get it!

The second blinding flash came when I met Sebastian from Germany.  He attended our Experience in Sunriver, Oregon because he read Mike Hyatt’s blog, though he had never met or talked to Mike.  Mike told his blog followers he was coming to our Experience, and Sebastian decided to book his international flight and register for an event being put on by a company he had never heard of!  Because of Mike’s blog we have a new friend and client…and now I have a blog!

The theme for my blog is “proactive and intentional leading and living.”  My desire is to share key insights and lessons I have gathered during my years in the coach’s chair.  I have learned so much by coaching many of you, and will strive to make this blog about sharing specific strategies and action plans to help you make the best decisions in your business and life.

Thank you for investing your precious time in reading what I have to say.  I hope it helps you to be more proactive and intentional.

From this day forward I am socially converted and attempting to network!

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1. A Tip From a Beginning Blogger
2. Presents or Presence?

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