Confession time.

I’m doing a lot of new things this year and they all scare me.

I hate that feeling. But also… I LOVE IT.

Because what I’ve learned along the way, through the struggles I’ve experienced while in “The Pit” — which I’ve talked about a lot in the Right as Rain column — is that there is no growth without resistance. And we don’t learn new things unless we try new things.

For the first two months of this year, I’ve been learning how to market and promote my recently-released workbook, I’m building the first online course I’ve ever created, I’m launching a new product line, and I’m publishing my first book in the summer.

At the same time, I’m focusing on my finances and learning new ways to invest and generate revenue.

Every one of these things is brand new to me and I have no idea what I’m doing.

I’m scared that I won’t be able to figure them out. I’m scared that no one will buy what I create. And I’m scared that a year from now I’ll be right where I am today with no growth.

But when I feel that way, I think about my heroes.

I think about how many of them (and by that, I mean all of them) have spoken about how they’ve felt that way before, too. They may still have those voices in the back of their heads, telling them they don’t deserve what they have or they don’t belong in the room.

The difference is, they hear that voice and they know it’s lying to them.

And the only way forward it to recognize it exists, know that it’s not true, and keep pushing past it. Because the only difference in a professional and an amateur, or someone “aspiring” to be something, is that the professional keeps going.

They embrace those scary feelings and push past them because they have put in the practice. And that practice gives them the confidence they need to do so.

So I spend my early mornings and late nights watching Youtube videos and reading articles learning how to create Amazon ads, how to successfully launch courses, how to promote and market products, and how to invest my money.

I try these new things and sometimes they don’t work.

But also, sometimes they do.

In fact, quite a few of them are starting to work now.

My first Amazon ad is working and I’ve sold 25 copies of my workbook that I wouldn’t have with marketing alone.

I’ve got my product line banked up and ready to launch, populating two different stores — one on my website and one on Etsy.

My coaching business is growing, as well as my email list, and I know that I have people waiting to purchase my course.

None of these things are huge wins.

But none of these things come easy to me.

Even though they are very small wins compared to the great things I plan to accomplish, they are actually huge wins for me because I’m learning something new.

And that is giving me the same confidence that the professionals (my heroes) have to perform their work and create the value that they do so effectively.

So now I see the future. I’m connecting the dots and seeing where they will lead.

And that is exhilarating.

My only wish is that we — when finding ourselves in these situations — could learn to focus on those wins and celebrate ourselves more.

Because there will always be those moments when we feel insecure and incompetent.

But those moments don’t define us. How we work through them does.


Rain Bennett is a two-time Emmy-nominated filmmaker, writer, and competitive storyteller with over a decade of experience producing documentary films that focus on health and wellness. His mission is simple: to make the world happier and healthier by sharing stories of change.

You can read the rest of “Right as Rain” here, and check back every Wednesday on Chapelboro for a new column! 


Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.