Would you rather get shot or laughed at?

Shot, I bet.

On February 22, 1861, Abraham Lincoln learned someone was planning on shooting him.

(Not the guy who would eventually shoot him. A different guy.)

Lincoln was on his way from Illinois to Washington for his inauguration. His advisor, Norman B. Judd, told Lincoln they’d have to sneak him into Washington to avoid the assassination attempt.

Lincoln’s journey to this point had been quite public, as he stopped to give speeches in several towns during the 12-day trek. When Judd told Lincoln about the assassination plot and his plan to sneak Abe into D.C., Lincoln was reluctant.

He had already promised to visit Baltimore. He didn’t want to break his commitment. Lincoln was also concerned about the potential ridicule and public perception. He thought sneaking into the capital would be seen as cowardly or weak.

But, eventually, Lincoln gave in.

“Unless there are some other reasons besides fear of ridicule,” Lincoln said. “I am disposed to carry out Judd’s plan.”

---

Think about that for a minute.

Here was Abraham Lincoln, recently elected as President of the United States, being told about a credible threat that someone would shoot him dead.

His initial response:

“But what will people think of me if I hide?”

Sure, public perception matters more to presidents than it does to most.

No doubt, “honor” was a stronger concept in the 1860s than the 2020s.

Yes, Lincoln eventually gave in.

But for a moment in time, Lincoln was more willing to expose himself to the potential bullet of an assassin than he was to expose himself to words of ridicule.

---

No one cares about you.

Sure, your family and your close friends truly love you and are concerned about what happens to you. But outside of that? Once you’re two degrees of separation away from your nucleus, you’re off the radar.

You’ve probably heard of this concept in psychology. It’s called “The Spotlight Effect.”

The Spotlight Effect is a psychological phenomenon where people tend to overestimate how much others notice them.

It creates a constant fear of ridicule despite the reality that people are too busy worrying about other people ridiculing them to have the mental energy to ridicule you.

Yet the fear of ridicule still holds so many people back.

---

I’ve been fortunate over the last 2.5 years. In May 2022, I quit my finance job to write online. It’s worked out. I’m beyond blessed. It’s been remarkable.

I don’t think I’m uncommonly talented. I don’t think I’m an unnaturally hard worker. I don’t think I was born with a horseshoe on my foot or a shamrock in the same black hat I wear every day.

I just think I care less about the fear of ridicule than most people.

And I think that’s one of the easiest ways to get ahead in life.

I write on LinkedIn for a living. You have any idea how cringy that is?

I’ve posed as a pseudo-motivational guru on Substack for the past year. I’ve said a lot of personal stuff here.

I’ve talked publicly about my dreams, my goals, and my challenges along the way.

Write. Be honest. Close my eyes. Press “publish.”

And because of that, I’ve gone from someone who always wanted to write for a living to someone who writes for a living.

For most people, the fear of ridicule is such a deterrent from achieving their goals that those who are willing to either A) embrace the ridicule or B) not care about it to begin with have a frictionless path forward.

---

If you want to do something, but the fear of ridicule is keeping you back, let me say this as clearly as I can:

No one cares about you.

And that’s a good thing.