Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway. It was something I had recently heard in a short exerpt of an interview with the Reverend T.D. Jakes. A woman in an audience with him asked him for advice on overcoming adversity. He said, often people look at those they admire and think they don’t have doubts or fears. They may think they are natural at taking chances and being successful. Instead, he said he feels the fear of failure, but he does it anyway. He hinted not to question your worthiness of facing a challenge or taking chances. I used this philosophy in a recent personal challenge.
Personal Challenge
I was recently asked to contribute to an online publication called THREE-FIFTHS online Magazine for Black History Month. The magazine was established after a series of blog articles in 2021. The magazine reflects a simple idea explained on the About page. It’s “the constitutional pillar of the devaluation of African Americans’ humanity and its extrapolation into a system of injustice.” It goes on to explain:
“The Three-Fifths Compromise written into the constitution in 1787 allowed southern slave states to enumerate the African Slave population’s bodies to bolster their representation in the federal government. “
I was at first super intimidated. I saw the writers who contributed to this magazine in the past were ministers and accomplished authors. So I knew that I needed something that would likely resonate with a religious and well read audience. I remember reading the request and thinking — “Oh crap — I don’t want to mess this up. Why me?”
Adressing Worthiness
I had to talk to myself and say — why not me? I’ve been writing for nearly 25 years professionally, why can’t I handle an article? I’ve written for newspapers, radio, television, and plenty of presentations to teach classes on writing for all of those mediums. My dad was a minister so as a P-K (preacher’s kid), I grew up in the church. I had to memorize scripture for all my elementary and most of high school. So, I can do this. THIS IS NOT BRAIN SURGERY. All my life I have had to risk taking chances on my ability to adapt.
But after I convinced myself — I recognized something. Even with all my experience, somewhere deep in my subconscious — I felt unworthy. Worthiness something that I think a lot of people struggle with. You feel like because you don’t have what others have, you are not qualified. You shrink from stepping forward and sharing your point of view. When that is simply untrue. If you avoid taking chances, you never have an opportunity to grow.
My writing style often leans very journalistic. I try to write short pithy stories that explain the facts with few flowery details. Because in radio, my job is to boil down often complex topics to 20 or 30 seconds. Sometimes doing this is great. But with many stories where you want to explain a lot of the details, it can be frustrating.
Writing History
I have enjoyed writing for the Black Information Network for the past three years. It has made me much faster in composing my thoughts and summarizing complex stories. However, it has also made it more difficult for me when diving into other styles of writing. It’s encouraged me to write more descriptive detailed narratives that draw a reader in and keep them engaged.
In my next blog entry I share what I submitted for the online magazine. Feel free to comment on the story and tell me what you think. I welcome suggestions of other magazines, so feel free to comment.
And let me know if you’ve ever felt “unqualified” or “unworthy” when someone called on you to contribute in the workplace? What did you do? You can send your message to me on my contact page.