Surviving Launch Anxiety

A few years ago I read that the latest savvy business trend was to "go green" and I immediately came up with the idea of creating eco-friendly, reusable grocery bags. After Googling my idea I found that other people were already banking on it, but I also discovered that the bags that existed were expensive and not accessible to every market. So I did some more research, drafted a business plan, and started calling suppliers to figure out how I could provide a similar product for less. My plan was to create colorful polypropylene bags with large white figures that would serve as canvasses for children to decorate. Parents everywhere would display their kids’ creations while saving the planet and there would also be an interactive website to teach children about the environment.

But I never went through with my idea because I experienced launch anxiety. You know the feeling: that something will go wrong and everyone will know. I was paralyzed with what ifs. It seemed like everyone I told my idea to would either laugh or question the need for such a product. At the time, I thought my decisions needed a seal of approval from everyone else. I was afraid of the embarrassment that I would feel if things didn’t go according to plan and they asked, “What ever happened to that bag business you were planning?” I always knew my idea was a great one, but I made the big mistake of thinking that everyone had to agree. If I planned on doing it all by myself, why did I care so much what everyone thought? I was afraid of failing and being stuck at square one again for everyone to see.

These days I want to be a writer and that launch anxiety is slowly creeping up on me again. With college graduation quickly approaching I have to make career decisions pretty soon. I know I have plenty of choices like freelancing, editorial work, or writing for public relations; but I always have that gut feeling telling me to proceed with caution. Every time I want to sit down and write clips I wonder: can I really make a living as a writer? What experience do I have that might encourage anyone to care about what I have to say?

I still don’t know the answers to these and many questions, but I know that every day I wake up and I want to write about something. This is my calling. So I’ve decided to just listen and take small steps everyday. My mentor says that fear is a good thing and anyone who has ever achieved great success has gone through what I’m feeling. I know she’s right so I’m going to try to ignore my anxiety as much as possible and take small steps for my career every day.

Have you ever experienced launch anxiety? What helped you cope with the feeling? I’d love to hear about how being nervous or afraid of the unknown affected your career path and helped you keep going.