When I was 15, my favourite subject at school was French. I desperately wanted to live as an exchange student in France, but mum and dad said no as it was too expensive. So, I decided to get a casual job to pay for it myself. Everyone thought I was crazy. The other parents at the school thought my parents were even crazier for letting me go on my own. Here I was, going to live with a family I had never met on the other side of the world!

By the time I was 16, I had saved enough money to go and live with my pen friend (yes we had pen friends before Facebook!) and her family in Toulouse, which is a beautiful city in the South of France. I went to school, joined the ski club, visited Paris and improved my French. It was such an amazing opportunity and one of the first experiences I had of really putting myself out there. I was scared to death, but I just knew that I didn't want to get down the track and regret that I didn't do it.

Me with Santa on the Champs Elysees in Paris, December 1995

It takes courage and vulnerability to put ourselves out there and it's the same when we're trying to create content. It's not comfortable, and we face every fear and objection not to. We may say things to ourselves like:

• What I have to say isn't good enough

• I'm not smart enough

• People will judge and laugh at me

• People will stop following me

• What could I have to say that hasn't already been said?

And yet, this is part of the experience; to test your potential and to see what happens. I find that the real underlying reason why we fear putting ourselves out there is that we don't know what will happen. We have no control over the outcome.

And yet the irony is if we don't put ourselves out there, we're in less control. The world is then in control of us, and we're at the peril of our environment and economic circumstances. When we don't put ourselves out there and out of our comfort zones, we live a life half lived. We risk regret and not achieving our potential. Even if things go wrong, it's better than never taking the chance at all because we grow and learn from the experience.

Brene Brown, the author of Dare to Lead says that "To be vulnerable - to really put yourself out there, and lean into it - is to live courageously."

The more you put yourself out there every day, the more it just becomes second nature, and you can shift from overthinking to executing.

Here is a list of 100 things you could do to put yourself out there. Have you done any of these?

1. Travel

2. Put your LinkedIn profile up

3. Ask to interview your favourite celebrity or expert

4. Write a book

5. Write a blog

6. Record a podcast

7. Apply for that dream job

8. Join a meetup group

9. Ask to speak at an event

10. Create an event and invite your ideal clients

11. Nurture your top clients, check-in and ask them how they are

12. Run a webcast

13. Talk to a recruiter

14. Write a press release and get in the media

15. Share your story

16. Learn to be funny, attend a comedy course

17. Do a video blog

18. Create a whitepaper

19. Hire a stylist

20. Travel somewhere you have never been

21. Live overseas for three months

22. Go to an industry conference

23. Create that invention

24. Busk out on the street

25. Record a song and publish it on Youtube

26. Enrol in the course you've always wanted to do

27. Ask someone on a date

28. Buy that designer outfit

29. Rent a sports car for the weekend

30. Get a cleaner

31. Get the house redecorated

32. Invite someone you admire to lunch

33. Pay to be mentored by your favourite expert

34. Join a gym

35. Create a Youtube Channel and share your expertise

36. Create a website

37. Buy your domain name (your name[.]com.)

38. Start your business

39. Undertake the redundancies you have been avoiding

40. Ask for help (counsellor, coach, etc)

41. Talk to your family

42. Work out what you can do to help someone in need

43. Join a choir

44. Write a book, business or wine review

45. Write to the author of your favourite book and tell them how much you enjoyed their latest book or blog

46. Book a table at a conference for your best clients

47. Send a thank you gift and personalise it for your clients

48. Create a vision board

49. Tell someone you love them

50. Ask for a pay increase

51. Give someone the feedback you have been putting off

52. Ring your accountant and sort out your finances

53. Talk to a doctor about your health and get a check-up

54. Talk to a personal trainer about getting your exercise routine in place

55. Ask for an upgrade on your hotel room if you've been a loyal customer

56. Volunteer your time for your favourite charity

57. Get that hairstyle you have always wanted

58. Start your clothing range

59. Set up your online store

60. Reach out and ask a store owner to stock your invention or product range

61. Ask your clients for a referral

62. Do a live video on your social media

63. Set up your profile on Fiverr or Upwork

64. Join a mastermind

65. Join a cooking class

66. Attend a speed-dating event

67. Sell your unwanted items on eBay or Facebook Marketplace

68. Host a dinner party or BBQ for your friends to meet

69. Wear that bright outfit you've always wanted to

70. Apply to do a TEDx talk

71. Design a survey and ask your friends to complete

72. Set a sales goal for your business

73. Send a book proposal to a publisher

74. Attend an art, pottery or design class and get your creativity flowing

75. Learn a language

76. Try using the local language when you travel

77. Talk to the chef at your favourite restaurant and tell them how much you like their cooking

78. Compliment someone on what they're wearing or on what you like most about them

79. Take the initiative to book something fun for a date night with your loved one

80. Book tickets to see your favourite band

81. Say no to people wasting your time and energy

82. Run a marathon

83. Learn how to surf

84. Join a tour of a local city

85. Rent a room in an Airbnb and stay with locals rather than a hotel

86. Attend an Art Gallery or Exhibition

87. Spend Christmas in another country

88. Go to school in another country

89. Host an exchange student

90. See snow for the first time

91. See the beach for the first time

92. Organise for your family or friends to rent a house at the beach for a week

93. If you're travelling alone, join a tour group

94. Do canteen duty at school

95. Coach your kid's soccer, netball or footy team

96. Learn to play an instrument

97. Build an online course in your area of expertise

98. Share stories of your childhood with your kids

99. Teach your nieces and nephews about your favourite hobbies when you were a kid

100. Join a book club

What have you done to put yourself out there? What would you add to the list?