Podcasting: Start Scared & Keep Sharing Your Story
Have you ever kept a secret for a really long time? Something you were massively embarrassed about? And then one day you tell someone, and all of a sudden you feel lighter. A weight has been lifted. You smile. Why did you wait so long?
Last night I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts, Speak Up Storytelling, hosted by Matthew Dicks, who you heard on the How to Tell Better Stories on Your Podcast episode of this show, and he revealed a very hilarious secret. Hilarious now, but the story he told was something that he buried for a really long time (it involves an orange thong, awkward dancing, and McDonalds).
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Matthew has won many many storytelling championships, authored several books, including Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling. And he’s got a new novel out: Twenty-one Truths About Love. Photo courtesy of Matthew.
I asked Matthew if I could share his secret story with you and he said yes. I’m sharing it not only because listening to him is always a masterclass in great storytelling, but because I also want you to hear his commentary on how doing this thing that scared him set him free, he offers some really powerful realizations and takeaways.
Doing something that scares us, starting something before we’re ready, is sooo good for us. Because a lot of us — most of us — will never feel 100 percent ready to jump into something that excites us but also makes us nervous. If we wait for that 100 percent confidence to arrive, we’re going to miss so many opportunities.
Taking action on the things we’re afraid of turns us into braver people. We can’t wish ourselves brave.
We don’t have to reveal our deepest secrets or greatest shames on our podcasts, but I hope the story you hear from Matthew today inspires you to take action on something you’ve been putting off because you were afraid of what someone else might think.