You brought something worthwhile into the world that wasn’t there before

The voice of doubt in the back of an entrepreneur’s head may one day quiet, but it will never disappear completely.

No matter how confident that person is in their latest venture, there’s always some bit of insecurity that lay dormant beneath the surface, ready to sneak in on a moment’s notice.

Particularly the closer they get to launch mode. When the thing they’ve poured their heart and soul into for months is ready to be released into the wild, the voice of doubt doubles down. It whispers worry into their ears:

Whoa now, don’t be overly promotional with this thing. Nobody needs to be bothered into buying another product. Going balls to the walls is only going ruin your chance of getting traction. Just let the product speak for itself and the right people will find it.

But remember, there is nothing wrong with promoting something that you worked hard on. Even if version one is not as good as you hoped it would be, you’ve still brought something worthwhile into the world that wasn’t there before, and there’s nothing shameful about emailing every single person you’ve ever met and telling them all about it.

Not everyone will notice, not everyone will care. But you have to give your baby the best possible chance of success. Let’s go.

What story do you tell yourself about your own work? How do you talk yourself off the ledge of anxiety and into productive action?

If you want to be an innovator, this mindset is crucial. You have to be believe that you’re welcome presence who creates value everywhere they go.

Think of it as priming. Rather than assuming your new product announcement is an imposition on the people you’re asking, believe that you possess tremendous value that you’d be remiss not to offer. Tell that voice of doubt to chill the fuck out, and soon sharing your value will become as natural as breathing.

Koch, the entrepreneur, consultant and author, writes about this in his bestselling book:

We will try to connect if we believe our efforts will be successful. And this is a virtuous circle, because they are likely to be successful if we try to connect. It’s easier than we think to reach almost anyone, the main barrier is in our heads. The world is a giant radar machine and what we are radiating will not go unanswered.

Remember, before you ask, the answer is always no. Don’t let the voice of doubt kill your momentum before you even start.

The sharing of our work is the act of gratitude that finishes the labor.

Are you afraid to tell people that you’ve brought something worthwhile into the world that wasn’t there before?