#17: Can you say what you want out loud?

September in Hype Yourself is all about confidence.

A lot of people are surprised when I say I don't have a lot of it. I can care way too much about what other people think. I find being terrible at something in front of other people excruciating. Don't get me started on trying to parallel park while a bunch of aggro French drivers wait behind me.

I've always had an inner confidence when it comes to working in PR. I know that my brain is just a good match for it. I find different angles and ideas because I don't necessarily think like other PR people.

I also think some of that confidence is exposure. The more you do something, the less uncomfortable it feels and the easier it gets. (What I'm hoping with learning French and CrossFit.)

I don't wait until I'm confident to start telling people what I want.

I didn't get a book deal because I secretly decided I'd like to write a book. The chain of events that eventually led to it started when I told a friend I wanted to write one.

It existed beyond a private thought.

That friend told me about Alison Jones's 10-day book proposal challenge. I did it. (And won my book deal).

The 10-day Business Book Proposal Challenge

Got an idea for a business book? Start here!

PI-QPI-Q

Saying what I wanted out loud became the first tiny action towards actually getting it.

You don't have to go straight from keeping something in your head to announcing it to the internet either.

Think of it as climbing the ladder of exposure.