Beating The Fear of Striking Out

Hey Edsters!

I'll be the first to admit it, I am extremely shy and sometimes do not advocate enough for myself, whether it be in the office or outside of work. As I continue through my internship I am realizing it is extremely important to take chances, connect with whoever comes your way, and always be thinking about how you can help you boss. Over the past few weeks our web staff and other departments have met with groups of interns to give us workshops on success in the magazine industry that are also relevant to other fields. The pattern and theme of all of these meetings seemed to be the importance of reaching out to editors and making connections. Growingly I am realizing how important knowing people in your industry is. 

I am naturally a shy person when meeting new people. At work I do get to know my two bosses pretty well but only on a professional level. I still find myself at times scared to ask if I can pitch certain ideas or nervous to reach out to help with parts of work. And to be honest, my fears at work are extremely irrational. It usually takes me a while, and probably some of you Edsters too out there, to built up the courage to send a pitch by the lifestyle editor or ask marketing if they need help with clients.

This week when I saw that other interns in the office were getting their stories published online after pitching to the web editors and I got annoyed with myself for not already trying that. I then realized that nothing is holding me back from doing the same and that I am just as worthy and skilled as them. Overcoming fear is extremely shard and I came up with a way to realize that I can beat it. I thought about what fears could be holding me back, not just from pitching but from taking risks. They include:

- Failure

- Not being good enough

- Rejection

Sounds of silly, right? To let all of these fears that will most likely not happen stop myself at work. When pitching, reaching out to editors to meet for coffee, or even when simply completing an assignment is it important to realize that your fears are not worth holding you back.

What are you most afraid of at work when taking chances?

Out for now!

- Edit Intern