Fears I Overcame to Become a Letter-Writer

Guest Post from avid epistolarian, Shannon Hood

Have you ever had a wonderful idea? An idea that you can't stop thinking about for days, it grabs you so tight?

When I had my idea to write one letter every day for an entire year, that's exactly what it was like. I was so excited! But like most of humanity, with every great idea, there creeps in a sneaky uninvited guest called Doubt. You know Doubt has arrived when all your fears about what might happen pop up. Doubt whispers these fears quietly and incessantly into your ear, attempting to lure you away from your goal.

Recognize the voices of Doubt

I want to share the fears that I faced when I began my letter-writing project. Perhaps you have experienced these, too.

1. The first fear was a far-too-common one: What will people think of me? Writing letters is so strange and unusual, I thought. Will my friends and family think I'm a crazy person? Receiving a letter is so rare--most people never receive letters--would they look at my letter and think, "What a weirdo! Nobody writes letters anymore!"
   
   This fear is, of course, ridiculous. Even if others do think I'm crazy for writing letters -- I have to let that thought go, because I am not in control of what other people think of me.

2. What if no one writes me back? I had to remind myself often -- and still do -- that receiving letters was never the purpose of my project. Receiving letters was not one of my "whys."
   
   This fear is related to the first one. Just as I cannot control the thoughts and opinions of others, I can't make anyone write me back. Nor would I want to.
   
   When I do receive a letter back from someone, it is of more value to me because they chose to reply. Receiving letters is just a side benefit of writing them. Don't get me wrong: I love seeing a letter from a dear friend in my mailbox. But it has not and will never be my "why" behind writing them.
   

3. What if I fail? At the beginning of this project, I had so much doubt regarding my ability. This goal was so big, so crazy. What made me think I would be able to get to December 31st, having succeeded in actually writing one letter every single day?

   
   Brooke Castillo said it so well when she said our greatest fear shouldn't be "What if I fail?" it should be: "What if I don't even try?"
   
   Isn't that a great perspective shift? She said that if you never try, you're just "failing in advance."

Courage to start…and to stick with it

I have had many incredible, life-changing experiences that I would have missed if I had listened to these fears and never started…or quit when things got difficult.

And those are just the things I know about! What about all the ways my letters have affected the lives of others that I may never know of?

I am so glad I didn't let my fear of failure stop me from trying. I wonder what other growth experiences I may have missed because I was afraid to fail.

What about you?

What project or goal are you afraid of beginning because you're not sure if you'll succeed? It is helpful to remember there are no guarantees of success in any of life's worthwhile ventures.

All we can do is have a little faith, jump in, and try.

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My guest writer, Shannon Hood

Shannon Hood is a devoted letter writer, homeschooling mother of six, novice gardener, and an avid reader. She writes here on Substack for her newsletter (which I love) “Of Permanent Things.” Shannon is one of the kindred spirits I have met since embarking on the Heartspoken Movement. I am grateful to her for letting me share part of her letter-writing journey.

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