My biggest wall to overcome is confidence. I have a huge fear of being wrong. My goal for 2011 is to truly learn that it is ok to be wrong once in awhile.
I am a member of multiple LinkedIn and Facebook groups but I don’t post discussions or actively talk on any of the platforms. I need to start. What is holding me back? The fear that I may look dumb by having a false understanding around a tactic or that I may make a statement with little or no real experience to back it up with. My current boss tells me all the time that I am smarter than I think, and in 2011 I plan to find that truth inside myself.
I have begun my journey by joining the new PR Community, #pr20chat. I joined 4 groups focused around B2B, B2C, Non-profit, and Measurement and have started to take part in discussions there.
Yesterday I jumped in on a question based around email marketing. Other community members responded to my post, and rather than feeling discouraged and anxious about their comments, I continued to talk. I may not always have the correct answer for a discussion, but as I continue to actively talk in these groups I will gain a more in-depth grasp on the PR industry as a whole. There are still things I need to learn and chances I need to take. Being wrong is not the end of the world, it is just another opportunity to learn what is right.
I will by no means be posting jibberish, but I WILL be voicing my opinion. I know more than I give myself credit for!
Here is to Confidence in 2011! & here is to the new #pr20chat community!
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A great goal to start off 2011, and a great post!
I completely understand where you are coming from – I hate being wrong too. If there is one thing that I fear, it is failure. So I’ve also been guilty of not speaking up when I probably should have because I was afraid of being criticized.
Perhaps what we need to remember is that being wrong isn’t necessarily such a bad thing – it’s how we deal with it that counts. So instead of feeling stupid, or getting angry or being self deprecating, maybe we need to be a little more humble, take it as a lesson learned, and move on.
Thank you! It is comforting to know that I am not the only young pro who faces this issue.
I hope to see you participating in more chats
We just need to remember that success comes from taking chances.