Why is it so freaking hard to write as yourself?

I was sitting at my computer, agonising over an article for our business’s blog when I realised that this wasn’t the first time I’d been sitting here agonising. The last time I struggled this much was the last time I tried to write for us.

But why on earth is it so hard?

I write every day. I couldn’t start to count how many millions of words have poured out of my fingertips and onto the page. I’ve worked with hundreds of incredible businesses to help them turn all of their amazing ideas, stories, and experience into great content. I don’t struggle to write. I’ve never had writer’s block when working on client content, and yet when it comes time to writing our own content I often stare at the screen wondering what the hell I’m going to put on the page.

It’s not about a lack of ideas — we come up with hundreds of content ideas and could literally talk all day about why content needs to be better and how to make it better. Get me started on why the people who should be creating the content are often not the ones making it and you’ll never hear the end. Our internal book brainstorming sessions are full of excitement, passion, and value and yet when it comes time to put pen to page (well, fingers to keyboard)….Nada.

So why do I find it so hard to write as myself and for the business I’m so passionate about?

Perhaps it harks back to my days at school, when I could give an epic speech or write a fantastic essay in no time at all — but coming up with the topic for either would take up most of the time and make me immensely stressed out.

Perhaps it’s something to do with the fact that I don’t have the starting point of all the questions I’ve asked clients — something that could be solved by getting one of our team to ask me questions instead.

Perhaps it’s the pressure of knowing that other people are looking at our content as an example of what we’re capable of doing, so I’m overthinking everything this one article needs to do.

Or perhaps it’s a little bit of imposter syndrome. Even after seven years of doing this (and despite my weirdly high self-confidence) it can still sometimes feel like I’m a kid trying to make my way in the big ol’ world. And even though I know that many of our clients still feel that way even after 15, 20, or even 30 years in business, it can still be hard to push past the fear that no-one will care what we have to say in order to actually write something.

If it’s that hard for me — a writer — no wonder it’s so bloody hard for other people to write for themselves.

So how can you get past that block?

Start by letting go of your need to be perfect. If you’re anything like most smart people I meet, you have a huge amount of knowledge, plenty of ideas, and a plethora of stories stored in that brain of yours. But the pressure to be perfect is probably holding you back. You worry that you’re not a good enough writer and therefore end up writing nothing at all.

Here’s the thing though — your ideas are what matter. Your knowledge is what matters. Your stories are what matter. Don’t let the fear of not being perfect hold you back from getting them out there.

Try setting yourself a challenge to share a piece of content you’ve created every day for 30 days (I’ve done this on LinkedIn). Whether short or long, knowing that you have to share something every day might help you get past that initial block — and once you start getting positive feedback from your network around the ideas you’re sharing, you’ll probably find you get less critical of your own content.

It’s freaking hard to write for yourself — but it shouldn’t have to be. If we can get past our own fears and self-made obstacles, it might just even become fun.