November 1st, 2023 – Starting Out As A Scopist
In the beginning…
My origin story is not dissimilar to many other scopists. Discovering that I wanted to be a scopist was a long, and arduous journey. Starting very early into my teen years.
When I was 28, after many years of travel, learning, and working, I came across Linda Evenson’s Internet Scoping School. This started me on a path that brought me here, starting Next Step Scopist and putting my skills to good use.
But starting in the scopistry world seemed less like a road and more like a swamp: murky, difficult to navigate, and filled with unexpected obstacles. I had a lifeline in Linda, however, and felt much more empowered to take the plunge into this unknown terrain. The journey was set, and the plan was simple: finish the course, build a website, read every book on grammar I could dig up, find some clients, and build my credibility. That’s just five things! A swamp with only five major hurdles didn’t seem so bad.
I can do it!
With this newfound optimism, starting seemed easier. The first three things were the easiest by far; they were tasks I could do on my own. When it became an issue of getting other people involved – building a network, having social media platforms, joining groups, etc. – the anxiety set in. What do I post on these profiles? Do people want to read something from me? What if I say something wrong? What if I make myself look stupid? How do I set myself apart? Will people be welcoming? Will I be invading a space that doesn’t want me to be there?
Maybe not…
I worried about these things a lot, and I stressed myself out worrying about how I was going to get myself injected into this market. It took a while before I had the courage to move past the first three steps, because I was scared that I was going to fail. But I had to keep looking forward. Steps 1, 2, and 3 were finished and now the hard part: starting to talk to other people.
This should have been simple. I am incredibly extroverted. I love making new friends. Why was I scared of this? A lot of days I just stared at my empty profiles wondering if I made the right decision. With the encouragement and tough love from my friends and family, I decided to just follow some great life advice, “Just do the thing scared.”
No, wait. I CAN do it!
So, I did. And here I am. I posted in those social media groups, I added content to my profiles, and I decided to just do my best and worry about problems when they arose. If I make a mistake, I can learn from it. If I say the wrong thing, I can apologize and do better next time. I can’t worry before a problem has occurred because then you just put yourself through the agony twice.
In the end, it worked out. People are welcoming, and kind; There are a lot of resources dedicated to helping and uplifting each other. No one is actively trying to see you fail. Everyone is just in their own lane, doing the same thing you are: trying to make this work.
Maybe my journey wasn’t unique or exciting, but it was certainly significant to me. Hopefully, someone can relate to my feelings and the difficulties I faced in the beginning. My hope is that it can be reassuring to see that fear doesn’t have to stop you from doing what you want to do. Let me know!
You’re your own worst enemy in the end, and thankfully, you know that enemy’s weaknesses. So, just do the thing scared.
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I hope you enjoyed reading a little bit about where my journey started! There is more about me on my About page, as well as information on how to get started with me as a scopist. If you liked this post, please make sure to comment down below and check back for a new post on the Next Step Scopist blog!
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