The ‘Hidden’ Reasons Writing’s So Hard For Us

I’ve never met a coach for whom writing content (blogs, newsletters, social media, etc.) was easy.

The common pain point I hear is, "I want to be more consistent with my content to grow my awareness and email list, but…it’s so hard!"

Yes, writing is hard. With or without help from A.I. For many reasons:

• It’s a complex, high-level cognitive process calling upon all core executive functions.
• It’s therefore much heavier lifting mentally vs other tasks.
• It requires long, distraction-free work sessions, and so on.

Yet these difficulties are manageable with a range of writing and productivity hacks that I use and teach every day (stay tuned…).

The trickier challenges for consistent content creation go deeper than “It’s hard” or “I never have the time.”

They are our Private Truths – the deeper, hidden reasons we avoid creating content and putting it and ourselves out there. E.g.,

 “Surely, what I have to say has already been said a million times before.”

 "I'm afraid that if I show up consistently and it still doesn't work, I'll have to admit I'm not cut out for this." (Credit to Amy Porterfield.)

 “I fear people will think my insights aren’t ‘big’ enough, my advice not ‘groundbreaking’, or I’ll say something that sounds too obvious.”

 “I want visibility, but I’m secretly terrified that more attention will expose that I have no business coaching people!”

“I haven’t sent out a newsletter or published a blog in such a long time that if I do now, my audience will think, ‘Where’s she been? She’s so inconsistent! So how could she help me with my inconsistency?' "

I think you’ll agree, these private truths are in large part just cognitive distortions. And as such, I invite you to think about which of the above most often has you stuck or fearful. Because just ‘naming’ that fear can help evaporate it a bit.

And assuming that at least one of these resonates with you, let me help you obliterate it with some rational, experience-based counter-truths… 

“Already been said a million times…” 

Nobody has ever said it the way you will say it. You'll come at it from your own angle, with your own voice and filter. And even if someone else has written something similar, the odds that anyone in your audience has already seen it — and remembers it — are tiny. People need to hear things multiple times and in different ways before they sink in. You can't not have your own voice!

“If it doesn’t work, proof I’m not cut out…” 

Content marketing is a slow go. You don't send one newsletter and get a flood of prospects. Traction builds quietly over time, and early silence doesn't mean it isn't working. Cuz you cannot put valuable content out there without increasing your awareness and perceived value — it's just not always visible right away. And as they say, you have to be in it to win it.

This is why I’m always encouraging my coaches to “put yourself out there’” with any content of any value. 

"Content Marketing isn’t like a vending machine – put in some coins and get something back after pushing the button. It’s a slooow build, my friends." – APB

“My insights/advice not ‘big’ or ’valuable’ enough…” 

As my ‘virtual mentor’ Amy Porterfield says, you don't need to be a top guru: You only need 10% more knowledge than your audience has. What feels obvious to you is often a revelation for someone else.

And as a trained coach, you have far more than that 10%. For instance, the informed observations you make (like noticing a bit of disempowering self-talk) are exactly the kind of insights your audience will resonate with deeply.

“Terrified of visibility…exposure as ‘fraud’…” 

Classic imposter syndrome! If you’re coaching people and helping them, you ain’t no fraud — full stop. You’ve earned your place in the public eye. Like the other Private Truths, the fear of exposure is a cognitive distortion, not reality.

“Haven’t emailed/posted in a long time…” 

Sorry, but nobody on your list is sitting around wondering where heck your newsletter went. They have dozens of subscriptions and their own busy lives. When your email arrives after a long gap, they’re not holding it against you – they’re looking for the value in what you’ve sent them. One of my Mastermind coaches shared that she'd gone quiet for six months. We invited her to just start again, and if a brief note acknowledging the gap felt needed, fine: authenticity and connection over embarrassment.

Remember, just naming the specific fear that has you stuck can begin to dissolve it. And once you push past the hesitation and get into actual writing, flow and even joy tend to follow — which is, of course, when your best writing happens.

BTW, if you think I’ve written this blog without my own Private Truths in kicking around the back of my head, well…they’re there. But I’ve learned that once I push past them (often using an evidence-based brain hack that I’ll share in a future nervously-written blog) and I hit ‘Send’ or ‘Publish’, I get that little rush of dopamine that comes from knowing I’ve just sent out something that’ll help someone…or thousands of someones.

What are your thoughts on this topic? I'd love to know. Shoot me an email at [email protected] or DM me on Instagram @alanpbrown. 

Bless!

APB

P.S. Might want to check out my 7 Hacks for Faster and Easier Writing cheat sheet, sharing some of my best writing tricks from 30 years of making a living creating content (despite a few learning disabilities – so if they work for me, they’ll work even better for YOU).

Click here to grab this indispensable cheat sheet.