avoid self-rejection

June 22, 2024

2 min read

A few days ago, I launched a side project I'd been working on with my friends on Twitter: Formbase. We had initially planned to launch months ago, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. "It's not ready" was my main excuse, but in the back of my mind, I kept thinking, "What if it fails?", "What if no one likes it?" I had built something, learned a lot, yet for some reason, I was "scared" to put it out there.

When we self-reject, we convince ourselves not to take action before even attempting something, out of fear of failure or rejection from others. To avoid potential pain or embarrassment, we shy away from what could have been, leaving ourselves with nothing but "what ifs." We say "no" before anyone else has had the chance.

Don't think you're good enough? Do it anyway. Scared? Do it scared. Worried about failure? Try anyway. I'm glad I pushed Formbase out there; I received valuable feedback, and now it's time to improve—something that wouldn't have been possible if I had kept sitting on it.

You are capable of extraordinary things, but none of that matters if you keep rejecting yourself before you even start. Be willing to put yourself out there, regardless of others' opinions.