Everything is cringe until it's successful.
And boy, did I feel cringe this week.
You see, I started on the journey of a second business endeavor—it's something that is desperately needed, and it's for a niche audience that I know like the back of my hand.
(Quick note: I'm not ready to share what it is yet because I'm having too much fun seeing who the Instagram and TikTok algorithms put me in front of first. But I'll definitely say more on that later because I've already had so many interesting discoveries.)
Back to the cringe thing, though—
Regardless of the fact that I KNOW I'm filling a much-needed gap in a niche market, regardless of the fact that I KNOW I'm the best person for the job, and regardless of the positive response it's already gotten in the mere 5 days I've been showing up there…
The self-doubt was self-doubting.
My brain was wincing at me.
And yet, simultaneously, I was like… ohhhhhh yeah, I remember this feeling. This is the feeling I had 3 years ago when I started Kleist Creative, and this is the feeling all my design clients have when I tell them they need more photos of themselves on their website, and this is the feeling all my business students have when I tell them that the only way out of the beginner blues is through.
🎙️ Hello darkness my old friend… 🎙️
The only difference is that now, I have the hindsight from past experience to be able to recognize the darkness and tell it to shut the hell up. There's a bright future for your ideas if you allow them to be cringey for a second.
All of this to say: if you're going through a similar time in your life right now—maybe you're starting in on a new endeavor or project—I freaking get it.
Slide into my inbox and we'll yell at each other. ;)
