Do You Feel Like You’ve Got Nothing To Offer? Ask Yourself These 4 Questions

One of the biggest reasons why I didn’t start writing sooner was the belief that I had nothing of value to offer anyone.

Creativity is my thing, but I haven’t mastered it. I struggle with anxiety, but I don’t know much about the science behind it. I really care about personal growth and inspiring others, but I haven’t figured it all out for myself yet.

I believed that a lack of expertise meant I had to shut up about everything I care about, at least until I knew exactly what I was talking about at all times.

This kind of thinking is depressing and paralysing, not to mention wrong. In this mindset, the reason not to do something always wins, and that excited little boy or girl inside you is silenced.

I say fuck that. You can start contributing now. You have something valuable to offer right now, wherever you’re at.

There is no test to take, no entry fee to get into contributing club. You’re allowed to let that kid run through those doors with all the confidence in the world and make so much noise that your limiting beliefs shit themselves and go into hiding.

Sure, it’s true that the more you know, the more you can give back. But that doesn’t mean that whatever you’ve got right now is worthless.

Besides, things change. Let yourself grow and tweak your contribution accordingly.

Are you with me? Good. We’ve established that you can and will speak up, because your voice is important.

But what do you say? How do you start? What is it that makes your voice worth hearing?

Before I started writing, I asked myself four questions that put me on my path. These can help you, too.

Let’s dive in.

Question 1: What do you care about?

This is the most important question of the lot. It sets you up with a strong foundation on which to build.

Take the time to clearly define what you really care about. And be honest. If you don’t care about what you’re doing, it’ll feel inauthentic and that will come through in your work.

This doesn’t mean you have to be an expert on the subject.

You just have to care about it enough. Ask yourself, “Is this something I could do every day?”

You don’t have to pick only one thing, and you don’t have to do the same thing forever. Name anything and everything you care about – the more the better. This will give you options to play with later on.

If you don’t know what you care about, you’re either not being honest with yourself or you’re thinking too small. Open your mind – maybe it’s family, friends, a TV show, gardening, cooking, sex, going out, your couch, whatever.

Figure it out. If you’re able to honestly tell yourself what you care about, you’re starting strong.

Let’s move on to the next question.

Question 2: Where are you at?

Understanding where you’re at with the things you care about can determine how you can contribute to those worlds.

Let’s say you love painting and you want to contribute to the art world in some way. How much do you know about it? What experiences have you had with painting?

Some useful questions to ask yourself might be:

- Have you been painting long or are you just starting out?

- Which styles are you familiar with?

- Are you self-taught or are you studying?

- Have you had any hiccups on your journey? Any major discoveries yet?

- What does painting mean to you at this point?

- What is your understanding of the essence of painting?

- Do you know enough to teach?

Once you’ve established how far along you are and the experiences you’ve had, you can start to look at how that could be useful to others.

It doesn’t matter if you’re only starting out or you’ve had terrible experiences – there’s always a way to put a positive spin on it.

Moving on!

Question 3: How can you use what you know to help someone else?

Now that you understand where you’re at, you can home in on exactly how you can contribute to your area(s) of interest.

I’m going to switch to a music production example here, because I can get specific.

Let’s say you’ve been producing music for a while now. You’ve completed a music degree, but you still haven’t mastered the craft in a holistic sense.

There are gaps in your skillset; your music theory is great, but you couldn’t teach piano professionally because your performance chops aren’t up to par, and your technique is sloppy. You’ve had some success in producing music for TV and big industry names, but your own music is suffering due to a lack of practise. You are really good at putting ideas together, but your mixing and sound design skills fail you at every turn.

This is a typical example of someone who has a lot of experience and understanding in some areas but is lacking in others. It’s also an example pulled directly from my life as a musician.

So, here’s the thought process behind determining how I can contribute:

• I am really good at developing ideas but not so great at “polishing” and finishing them to a “radio ready” standard. So, I focus on discussing how to create ideas and how to get them to a point ready for mixing.

• I’m good at writing but terrible at speaking, so I write articles instead of making videos (at the moment).

• I love to inspire, but I don’t have the work to say, “If you work hard, this is what you can achieve!” Instead, I focus heavily on the beliefs around creating and being your best self, because I’m really familiar with the inner voice.

• I also do a lot of “how not to do this”, because I’ve had plenty of experience in doing the wrong thing. This is good information – people absolutely want to know what to avoid as much as what to do right.

These are just a few examples of how I go about contributing, but can you see how it’s entirely possible to add value without being the best and knowing everything?

You can do this. Figure out how to use exactly your knowledge and experience – good or bad – to contribute. It’s always possible.

Turn your limitations into strengths.

You don’t have to stop at only focusing on things you know lots about.

Remember, you don’t have to be an expert on the subject – you just have to care about it.

You can use your limitations as another avenue for contributing.

If you’re a seasoned professional, you can command authority in your field, but you’re also lacking that “same level connection” with your audience.

Being a beginner or someone who’s still experimenting and trying to find their feet can have huge advantages, because it allows you to walk side by side with other people who are in the same boat.

Let’s go back to the painting example. Say you haven’t been doing it for long, and most of your experiences have been hiccups rather than major discoveries.

At first, this sounds like someone who might not have much to say about painting. But it’s not true. Maybe you can use the constant hiccupping as a jumping off point for connecting with others.

Maybe documenting your journey from regular hiccups to major discoveries and successes is exactly what people want to see.

We love hearing success stories. They move us. Imagine how much better it would be to see that transformation in real time. You get to feel how they feel and watch them grow amidst joy and heartache and everything in between.

You can be that person that people love to watch. Use your vulnerability as a weapon. Grow with your audience. Create a space for others to open up as they go about their journey alongside you.

You’re not educating on everything, yet – you’re educating on what you know (whether it’s constant failure, the mental struggle of being a beginner, whatever) and learning from and alongside others. It’s the perfect combination of influence and connection!

Let’s move on.

Question 4: How do you inject yourself into this?

This is so important. Everyone is doing everything today. You need to put your personality into whatever you’re doing if it’s going to stand out at all.

I’ve found that without the personality to go along with the message, the message is tainted.

Who wants to listen to a robot talk about making art, or connecting with people, or the sensation of sinking into a beautiful couch?

No one. If there’s no personality, I don’t believe what the person is saying. And if I don’t believe them, I won’t take their advice, or follow them, or engage with them.

Vulnerability is your ultimate superpower here. Just as it can be a way to help people, it can be the open and honest connection that links you and your audience.

If you open up, so will everyone else. It’s amazing how many people have shared deeply personal stories with me after I’ve let them in on one of mine.

Use this. Find ways to be yourself everywhere and as much as you can.

If you’re writing, use words you use in real life. If you’re getting in front of a camera, talk to your audience in the same way you talk to your best friend. If you’re using images or art to connect, make sure it’s wholly you, so that people are knowing the realest you possible.

It doesn’t matter if people don’t totally understand you right away. Eventually, they’ll catch on. And you’ll be so glad you didn’t fake it, because you’ll be able to be you, always.

Conclusion.

Considering these four questions allowed me to finally start sharing my journey. I hope they spark something in you.

Adding value is the best thing you can do, and you can do that. You have something good to offer, no matter where you’re at. And the world needs you.

The more each individual contributes whatever they can, the more we all move towards becoming whole. Ultimately, we are all one, after all.

If you enjoyed this and you’re looking for a bit of an extra push, you might be interested in Limiting Beliefs Are Hindering Your Creative Growth, in which I break down five big reasons why we don’t do what we really want.

I’ll see you again soon!

Cheers :)