It’s rare that I get tonnes of questions but someone asked me today how I show up every single day without caring what people think about my content.
Now it’s not like it’s some kind of superpower.
It’s definitely not like I’ve transcended human emotion and achieved enlightenment through the mystical art of not giving a fuck.
I still care. My brain still does that fun little dance where it imagines strangers on the internet judging my work while eating cereal in their underwear.
The difference is I’ve got a filter system that separates signal from noise.
And that filter system comes down to five simple F’s, courtesy of my man Dan Meredith.
If they aren’t family, friends, feeding you, funding you, or fucking you, their opinion doesn’t mean shit.
That’s it. That’s the whole game.
Some random person thinks my writing is too aggressive? Are they family?
No.
Are they friends?
No.
Are they feeding me, funding me, or fucking me?
Hell no.
Their opinion gets filed under “irrelevant data from irrelevant sources” in my cosy little notebook.
Obviously this whole thing goes a little deeper it, and this is the part most people miss.
Showing up every day isn’t just about not caring what people think.
You need to know that someone out there needs exactly what you’re creating today.
While you’re sitting there paralysed by the possibility that Karen from accounting might judge your LinkedIn post, there’s someone scrolling through their feed feeling lost, stuck, or hopeless. (I mean LinkedIn is a bit of a lolfest, but roll with me here…)
…your words might be exactly what pulls them out of that hole.
While you’re worried about seeming too vulnerable or too raw or too whatever, there’s someone who needs to see that it’s okay to be messy, to struggle, to not have it all figured out.
You think your content doesn’t matter? You think nobody cares?
Bullshit.
Every single day, someone is drowning in their own thoughts and needs a lifeline. Someone is starting a business and needs encouragement. Someone is battling addiction and needs to know they’re not alone. Someone is trying to figure out if they’re brave enough to chase their dreams.
And your content? The stuff you’re too scared to post because it might not be perfect? Might be exactly what they need to hear today.
That’s why I show up. Not because I’m fearless. Not because I don’t care what people think. But because the people who need it matter more than the people who judge it.
There’s also a little bit of beauty when it comes to this part.
When you consistently show up with real, honest, useful content, the five F’s start working in your favour.
You build genuine friendships with people who get it. You attract clients who value what you do (feeding and funding)
Your family sees your dedication and respects your work.
The circle tightens. The signal gets stronger. The noise gets quieter.
Yeah consistency is discipline.
It’s also about building trust with your audience, with yourself, with the process of creation itself.
Some days your content will suck. Some days it’ll be brilliant. Most days it’ll be somewhere in between. But showing up regardless?
That’s where the magic lives and that’s the secret sauce to just being a good human.
That’s where you build the kind of following that actually matters. Well, at least that’s what I’m also trying since I got my ass handed to me last time…
I want people who stick around not because every post is perfect, but because they know I’ll be there tomorrow and that’s what I also want for you if you’re gonna go down that route.
So fuck the haters. Ignore the critics. Focus on the five F’s and the people who actually matter.
While you’re worried about judgment, someone out there is waiting for exactly what you have to say.
Don’t make them wait any longer.
Stephen Walker.
P.S. Every creator who’s ever mattered has faced criticism. Every artist who’s ever changed anything has been called crazy, wrong, or worse. The difference between success and failure doesn’t avoid judgement, they just learn to choose whose judgement is worthwhile.