Confession time: I’m outrageously shy.
If you’ve seen me on video, you’re likely rolling your eyes and thinking, “That is NOT shy. You do NOT know the meaning of shy, girlfriend!”
But it’s true. I’ve managed to override it to do what needs done in my business. But my offline experiences tell a different story.
The only times I’ve been well & proper drunk (or *pissed* to my UK friends!) it’s because I was drinking to cover up my social anxiety.
I used to be part of a small group that organized and hosted huge parties. The parties were notorious in San Francisco for their hospitality, menu, and scene. I spent the entirety of every party either deejaying (just me and the music), bartending (no more than 2 mins interaction per person and there was an understood script to stick to), or working the door (again, 2 mins max per person, with a typical script)…
The parties were notorious because of the energy we poured into details like this. But they also allowed me to have one foot in the social world while staying firmly in my comfort zone.
Introverts Can Be Wildly Successful Online Too
Online business is pretty similar. It APPEARS like you need to be super extroverted to succeed in the online space. But, you can find ways to lean into it without giving up the wonderful introverted and shy qualities that make you uniquely you.
The biggest comfort zone is habit.
The first time we threw one of those parties, I was crazy nervous! I couldn’t stand still the whole night, I was constantly looking for work to do to take my mind off the huge crowd of people.
The same happened when I did my first Facebook Live video. I sweated, and forgot what I wanted to say, and didn’t know what to pay attention to and it sucked!
But, I kept doing them. Week after week after week. I found that buying a proper studio light eased my frustration with the constantly changing natural light that hit my office. So now I have one less thing to worry about. Lesson learned.
And when we know better, we do better.
Having consistent lighting meant I could jump on live whenever I felt like it. No more pressure to be ready when the sunlight was just right.
So I kept doing videos. Eventually I learned not to stall for the first minute because people get bored and click away. Then I learned that writing an outline of what I want to say beforehand, helps me stay on topic, even when I don’t look at the outline during filming.
The more I did it, the more I learned. But more importantly, I got more and more comfortable doing it. The habit became a comfort zone. Doing videos from my office became easier and easier.
Now, live videos feel so normal to me, I don’t even need the reward of a glass of scotch waiting off camera for when I successfully overcome my fear and get it done.
I can honestly say there’s no more fear about doing live videos on Facebook.
What Happens When We Overcome This Fear?
Am I done? Hell no! I’m going to be in the live studio audience this week, for a class that’s being professionally recorded and live streamed. 8 hours a day, 2 days in a row! Am I nervous? Hell-effin-yeah I am! All my anxiety is back and I won’t have that glass of scotch waiting!
I also won’t be in my office. I can’t delete it if I don’t like it. I need to lose weight and the camera adds 10 pounds. And on and on and on.
But ya know what? Deep down, I know I’ve got this and I’m going to end up having FUN. Ya know why? Because the gals in that audience are just like you and me. Entrepreneurs who want to make a difference in the world. Who want to grow their following and expand their business so they can enjoy income AND impact.
Because I’ve done the live videos from my office enough times that I don’t get *as* shy anymore. Because this isn’t my first live video. And because there’s always going to be some new challenge. Some new goal to stretch for, some new comfort zone to stretch out of.
All of this is possible for you too
You have your own shells to break out of and each time you do, you unlock a new level of success.
If you manage to do just this one thing, your biz will be successful. If you can’t bring yourself to do this, you will stay at the level you’re at now.
Deep down, you’ve got this! 2018 is the year to break out of your shells and SHINE!!
What shell do you want to break out of this year? I’d love to hear your story in the comments!
Awesome you should think of sohtmeing like that