As someone who’s been in digital marketing for a while, I’ve learned that the biggest roadblocks aren’t always about mastering the latest tools or techniques—they’re often about dealing with our own fears. Fear has this sneaky way of making us doubt our abilities, convincing us that some tasks are just too hard to tackle. It’s like there’s this invisible wall in our minds, and the idea of crossing it feels impossible.
Let’s be real: fear can be a real buzzkill when it comes to growth. The famous psychologist Carl Jung once pointed out that “what you resist, persists.” In other words, the more we avoid something because it scares us, the bigger and scarier it becomes. Fear thrives on this avoidance, turning minor tasks into monstrous challenges.
For me, this kind of fear showed up early in my career when I first got into Shopify. The platform seemed like a labyrinth, and the thought of diving into it made me nervous. I kept putting it off, thinking it was too complicated. But here’s the thing—the actual challenge wasn’t the platform itself, but the fear I’d built up around it.
In her book “Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway,” psychologist Susan Jeffers talks about how fear is often rooted in the unknown and the fear of failure. That’s exactly what I was dealing with. For example, setting up Google Analytics with Shopify seemed like a tech nightmare. I worried I’d mess up the tracking code or get inaccurate data, so I avoided it altogether. But when I finally decided to just go for it, I realized it wasn’t nearly as tough as I’d imagined.
Another task that freaked me out was setting up Facebook Ads with Shopify. The idea of syncing products, managing ad campaigns, and tracking conversions felt overwhelming. I was scared I’d waste money on ads that wouldn’t perform well. But when I took the plunge, did some research, and started experimenting, I found that it wasn’t as complicated as I’d feared. In fact, it turned out to be a great way to drive traffic and sales.
These experiences taught me that fear is often just a mental block, something we build up in our minds because we’re afraid of failing or facing the unknown. As Carl Jung suggested, the more we avoid something, the more it looms large in our minds. But once you confront it, you’ll often find that the task itself isn’t as daunting as you thought.
This isn’t just a lesson for digital marketers—it’s something anyone in any field can relate to. Whether you’re in sales, HR, engineering, or anything else, fear can hold you back if you let it. But here’s the good news: you don’t have to let it. By understanding how fear works and pushing yourself to take that first step, you can turn those challenges into opportunities for growth.
So, don’t let fear control your future or limit your potential. The skills you’re avoiding because they seem too hard are probably much more within your reach than you think. Take that leap, face the fear, and you’ll likely find that the obstacles aren’t as big as they seem.
And remember, the next time fear tries to hold you back, just remind yourself: Feel the fear, and do it anyway.
