The Inner Journey of Being a Creator

Sharing your work in public is not for the faint of heart. There's a steep emotional learning curve to releasing a part of yourself into the wild. You might experience some of the following:

1. Your ego is a hungry beast. It has a voracious appetite that wants to gorge on retweets, likes, and replies.
2. The hedonic treadmill is real. Your "happiness" set point will acclimate to your current level of followers or likes. You'll want more.
3. You'll compare yourselves to others. This is a quick path to misery.
4. You aren't the best judge of your work. What seems inadequate to you might have a surprising resonance with someone else.
5. You'll see flaws in your work that others don't see. This is especially true after you release it.
6. The more you share, the more you'll get sucked into analytics.
7. You don't know the impact of your work. Even though you might not be getting traction now, it might come tomorrow. It's also possible that in the distant future it will make a difference in the life of one person.

Remember, you are so much more than any analytics.
There will be critics who don't get you. Connect with your allies and people who want good things for you. Shift from external validation into self-validation.If you feel raw or ragged, take a step back. Stay in alignment with this question: “Why do you want to create?”