Tips to Overcome Your Fears

Fear can physically and mentally cripple you. For example, people have gotten stage fright and forgotten their lines while standing, momentarily paralyzed on the stage. Have you had a similar experience?

What are you afraid of?

Everyone is afraid of something. The harder part is facing your fears and conquering them. The secret to defeating your fears is to break them down into pieces. 

Here are four fears and how to conquer them.

Fear of overwhelm. In life, we can be overwhelmed by everything we need to do, from personal to professional projects. Selling or buying a house, starting a new career, or maintaining a long-term relationship. You are hit by a tsunami of questions – what do you do first? What if you forget to do something important? 

The first step is to make a plan and break down a major task into a series of steps. If necessary, get help from a mentor or an expert or someone available. Ask for advice on what to do when buying a home. See if a coworker can help with a project. Just work on one small task at a time, instead of taking on everything as one goal.

Fear of things. Phobias are often out of your control. You just fear what you fear, such as spiders, snakes, heights, or closed spaces. 

But if you arm yourself with knowledge, you can slowly start to chip away at your fear. For example, if you fear spiders, read a book about spiders and learn everything you can about them. The question is WHAT should you fear about your fear. Being bitten by a spider and reacting to the venom is a true concern. Being fearful of a tarantula because it is sitting next to you, minding its own business and enjoying the weather – that’s a fear in your mind. Knowledge is power. 

Fear of situations. Rejection is a situation many people dread. You have no control over how people think of you. What if you tell someone you like them and they don’t like you back? What if you apply for your dream job and you are rejected?

To overcome your fear of these types of situations, put yourself in these situations more often. (This probably seems like a nightmare in itself.) Apply for jobs more often so you have more experience with resumes and job interviews. Work up your courage and be brave. Ask the person you like to spend time alone with you. See how they react. Then, eventually, work your way up to the big question: Do they like you?

Fear of failure. Everyone fears failure. It’s embarrassing, and it’s a terrible feeling to disappoint yourself or someone else. However, failure gives us painful but valuable lessons. Any business owner will tell you that the road to success is not easy and failure (or failures) is something you encounter on your journey.

To succeed, you develop mental toughness. When failure happens, ask yourself what you would do differently next time. What lessons did you learn? If you tried a new hobby (like playing piano) and failed at it, try again. (No one played piano masterfully on the first try.) Or you find you have played the same sport for a year and made zero progress. It happens. It’s a learning process. Sometimes it’s a sign to try something new.

We face our fears every day. This Halloween, take a moment to think about your greatest fears and how you will overcome them. 

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What If You Could Stop Time

Time moved a lot more slowly when I was a child. When I was a child, everything seemed much bigger. Heroes were bigger. Problems were bigger. Twenty-year-olds were old.

As an adult, I returned to my elementary school. The halls were smaller. The desks were smaller. Those years in school lasted just a few blinks of an eye. Now a month is the same as thirty seconds and a decade is just ten months. Where does the time go?

If there were some scientific invention I could get my hands on, it would be a device to slow down time. It seems that the older we get, the faster time moves.

Like the ghost of a dear friend dead
Is Time long past.
A tone which is now forever fled,
A hope which is now forever past,
A love so sweet it could not last,
Was Time long past.

There were sweet dreams in the night
Of Time long past:
And, was it sadness or delight,
Each day a shadow onward cast
Which made us wish it yet might last–
That Time long past.

There is regret, almost remorse,
For Time long past.
‘Tis like a child’s belovèd corse
A father watches, till at last
Beauty is like remembrance, cast
From Time long past.

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Daily writing prompt
Do you need time?
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Creating an Inclusive Culture – Remote Work

Technology has made it possible for a situation that didn’t exist a couple of decades ago: working with strangers. In a new culture of remote work, collaborating with coworkers in another city or country has become more commonplace. This situation can be comfortable for some people, and awkward for others.

This possible disconnect between coworkers is an issue that remote companies must address. How do these companies create an inclusive culture for their remote teams? 

When you work from home, you may never meet your coworkers face-to-face for a casual conversation at the water cooler. You may have staggered interaction times because you’re logging into work as coworkers are having lunch or getting ready for dinner. 

Interactions are formal: meetings are done virtually, with set start and end times, and people stick to the agenda to respect schedules. Meetings can also seem less formal because you get a peek into your coworker’s home, and you’re not meeting in the boardroom. 

However, it’s harder to relate to someone you know little about, apart from their name, job title, and what their home office looks like.

The leadership team has an important role in creating an inclusive work culture for their remote teams, starting with how they communicate and meet.

1 In-person team events

Virtual meetings are an effective way to collaborate quickly without wasting time on travel, but it isn’t easy to get to know people by meeting on a computer screen.

Technology cannot replace in-person events. If a group of coworkers lives within driving distance, it’s worth it to find a day when most people can meet for lunch and a chat. Occasions such as greeting a new team member, saying goodbye to someone moving away, or celebrating a holiday are the perfect reasons to socialize and get to know your team members in a non-work-related context.

If possible, arrange for the whole company to meet at a central location. This annual meeting can be a day for everyone to meet in person and bond over activities that are completely unrelated to work.

2 Developing an inclusive culture from the top down

An inclusive culture for a remote company starts at the management level. New hires and team members follow the example that their direct report or supervisor sets.

The tone used in emails, group chats, and direct messages is a part of the company culture. Do messages sound supportive and friendly? Or do people stick to the point? (The occasional curt message doesn’t count – eventually, you’ll catch someone in a hurry if you message them often enough.)

Do group chats and meetings include sharing news and photos about what company members have been up to? A photo of a company lunch helps to connect names to faces and gives a sense of what other teams or departments are doing. 

Group chats and meetings are also opportunities to share what individuals have accomplished. For example, what projects were completed this past quarter? What did Jane contribute to the company lately to improve operations? What presentation did Sean do last month that won an award?

These are just some ways the company can create an inclusive culture that connects names, accomplishments, and faces. People become more than employees that you know by name.

3 Starting team meetings with a little socializing

Team meetings are usually scheduled for a half hour to an hour. It’s typical to have a lot to cover in that short period of time. However, the team can spare a few minutes for some socializing. That casual start to the meeting can do a lot to build relationships.

The person acting as meeting moderator can start with a question such as, “How is everyone doing?” or ask about the weather. When your team lives in different cities, comparing the weather can be interesting. If the weather seems dull, other neutral topics are also worthwhile, such as everyone’s upcoming weekend or holiday plans (although this topic tends to create long discussions that take the meeting off topic).

These short one to two-line conversations are a way to break the ice and get to know team members more personally. You find out that a teammate’s work buddy is a dog (who may pop by during the virtual meeting). Or you may find out someone likes beach weather as much as you do.

These bits of trivia come in handy when you need to message someone for the first time with a work request. You can add a personal note by adding, “Hope you have a good rest this long weekend at your summer cabin and let me know when the report is finished!”

4 One-on-one chats with remote team members

One-on-one chats with team members are a great way to get to know other people who work at your company. When you can speak one-on-one at a virtual meeting or on a phone call, you have the chance to get to know each other on a personal level. 

For example, you can find out what brought that person to the company or what their specific role is (especially if you don’t work directly with that coworker). Depending on how social the other person is, you might share details about your personal life. 

Team members can message each other with work requests and add the latest picture of their dog or cat if they discover that their coworker is also fond of animals or has a pet. In some cases, these chats evolve into sharing anecdotes about hobbies or jokes interspersed with work-related chatter.

When you really connect with your coworkers, you may also open up personally, knowing your coworker will offer you support. For example, offering to pick up a work task for you because you’re sick, or sending you a joke to help you feel better because you’re struggling with something in your personal life.

These personal connections can also happen with your supervisor or mentor. People who are in management or supervisory positions should take the time to get to know their team members by booking time for one-on-one meetings. 

During that time, they can find out more about why someone is working for the company (they might not have been involved in the hiring process), what that person’s career goals are, and how that person likes to work (such as they like to be included in teamwork or they prefer to work independently). 

This is also the perfect time to find out if the team member is struggling with something at work or at home but is reluctant to share. Discussing a solution can help to deal with mental health issues or possible future challenges.

These types of connections are entirely possible with remote teams.

5 Setting a tone of sensitivity

People who work with remote teams can find it challenging to connect with their coworkers. You don’t have the chance to run into them before or after work for a quick conversation, for example. This lack of opportunity to connect results in coworkers that are faceless entities that you email with work requests.

However, if company culture includes the occasional in-person event, promotes having a snippet of social time at the start of a meeting, or encourages people to get to know each other on a more personal level, people will feel more included.

Some may resent social opportunities and consider this inclusive culture to be a waste of time. Introverts want to be left alone to work. A direct, to-the-point person will avoid wasting time with unrelated chatter. 

The downside of this type of disconnect is people working in silos, and when they need help (and this will happen), their coworkers aren’t as quick to give a helping hand. This isolation can also open the door to misunderstandings and resentment.

An inclusive culture of respect and support for others will create a more connected workplace. There are a few ways to create this sensitivity. 

For instance, if you discover that your coworker has social anxiety, the team can be more encouraging. They can ask for that person’s opinion, knowing that person isn’t likely to share. They can also respond in a non-judgemental way and show appreciation when their coworker does share an opinion or idea.

Key Takeaways

Taking the time and initiative to get to know your coworkers creates a positive environment for your remote team. Making these connections is important when you don’t see everyone day-to-day. It’s too easy to see coworkers as just names when you work from home. But when you discover just a little about a coworker’s personal life, such as a hobby, number of kids, or favorite food, you start to see them as people.

You’ll want to support and help each other when these coworkers are humans that you care about. Creating an inclusive culture begins with taking the time to build relationships with your coworkers.

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Are You a Kid at Heart?

I think each one of us is a kid at heart. No matter how old we are, a little child inside us just aches to revisit our childhood ways. To have some fun and forget about adult responsibilities. To eat food with our hands and forget about the rules for eating properly with knives and forks. And enjoy life at its simplest level – just do something to be carefree and happy and forget about deadlines and what housework you’re SUPPOSED to be doing at the moment.

While shopping, I came upon this Halloween planter. Very cute, and it spoke to the kid in me. The adult in me shouted, what about the price? Do you need another plant? Are you going to remember to water it? The child in me said, it’s so cute. We gotta have this. And OH MY GOODNESS! It comes with a name! How appropriate! It’s called Boo!

How about you? What makes you feel like a kid at heart?

Daily writing prompt
What does it mean to be a kid at heart?
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Why Technical Writing Is Vital and Fun

People think writers write novels, blog posts, or magazine articles. Technical writing isn’t top of mind. People also tend to think that technical writing is boring. It’s about writing instructions, and how many people have the patience to follow instructions these days? Now before you yawn, let’s get into why we need technical writing. 

What is technical writing? 

It’s not dry writing. I mean, technical writing is about a specific topic. The primary purpose is to provide instruction and information. Employee handbooks, standard operating procedures (SOPs), troubleshooting guides, user manuals, company documents, and case studies are all examples of technical writing.

Why do we need technical writing? 

Sometimes in life, we get stuck. We need help that is easy to follow. You’ve probably read an example or two of technical writing by now, especially if you bought a new computer or phone and read some documentation to figure out how to use it. If you’ve watched a video that gave you instructions, the transcript is an example of technical writing. 

Technical writing organizes information into easily digestible bits. You can go to a table of contents to find the topic you’re interested in, and read just that section to get the information you need. You don’t need to read the entire book or PDF from cover to cover, or read each page of a website to find the answer you need.

Why is technical writing fun to write?

People may think that emotions and personal experience have no place in technical writing, so technical writing is boring. However, if you like organization and solving puzzles, you’ll like how technical writing follows a sequence. Technical writing will explain a concept clearly, using plain language without jargon or idioms. If a special term is used, the meaning is explained. 

This is why technical writing is fun. It’s like being in an escape room and you’re faced with the challenge of organizing a bunch of information to get the answer you need. If you get it right, your mission is accomplished. You can also use your imagination in technical writing. You can create a handbook on how to capture and tame dragons.  

Key Takeaways

Technical writing provides valuable instructions and information. If you’ve picked up a user manual to find the answer to your question, you’ve read a piece of technical writing. This style of writing sticks to the facts and doesn’t include emotions or personal experiences. For this reason, some people think technical writing is boring. But other writers think technical writing is fun. It’s challenging to write information in a way that is easily understood and easily found by skimming and scanning. Technical writing has a very important role in providing readers with important information.