I have been toiling away at a side-project and recently realized I postponed talking to customers all the time. As a test I forced myself to include a demo of

I have been toiling away at a side-project and recently realized I postponed talking to customers all the time. As a test I forced myself to include a demo of that side-project in a presentation on a related topic to product managers (my side-project's target audience). What I found out is that the fear that kept me from talking to customers is the fear of feeling exposed. It's fascinating how strong and immobilising that fear is. It's stronger than the will to help people, improve the world and/or earn more money.