I was asked this question the other day by someone who wondered why I have not written in so long. I was surprised; of course I am still a blogger! I have a blog!
But after thinking about it long and hard, I realized that there are some things tripping me up on my blog journey:
- Perfectionism – This is the overarching problem, of course. I always want to do everything just right, and I get hung up when I can’t, which is pretty often! Let’s look at how perfectionism rears its ugly head:
- Unpublished Drafts – I currently have 27 unpublished blog posts, things I have written about but – for whatever reason – never committed to finishing. This is silly. I need to just get stuff out there and let it go.
- Photography Issues – When I “remodeled” the blog the last time, I decided I no longer wanted to use “stock” photos from other sources. I wanted to be like all the bloggers I admire and use my own photos. But that wasn’t quite accurate; the truth was, I wanted to use my own high-quality, well-lit, well-edited photos like all the bloggers I admire. To put it kindly, I’m not that good. (Ha! We can take the “that” out of there – I am not good.) I have some choices to make: I can post without photos. I can use my bad photos. I can strive to become a better photographer. I can use stock photos. I need to accept that any of those choices is fine.
- Unrealistic Expectations – My life gets in the way of my best-laid plans. I have a laundry list of things I wish I could be doing better, and writing blog posts consistently is just one of those things. But there are some cold, hard facts that I have to face: I work full-time; since the first of the year, I have had to take on a retired co-worker’s job on top of my own (with no support and no extra pay) . I have a home and a family that need a lot of attention. I have MS, and sometimes I try to act like I don’t. I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep since we got cats, which sounds ridiculous but really affects me negatively. I’m not a high-energy, Type A personality who can do all things and do them all efficiently and with style; I’m just a regular girl. plodding through life at my own pace… and then beating myself up for it.
Long story short, I am definitely a blogger. I may not be the blogger I want to be, but I am the blogger I am. Posting here is good for me; it helps me focus on what I want, on what I love, on where I am going. It lets me keep in touch with any of you who are following my story. It gives me a chance to write – which I love – and to think out loud, which is an inherent part of who I am.
Now, let’s hear from you! Are you a blogger? Have you ever thought about blogging? If so, what’s your motivation? If not, what is keeping you? (Any of the same things I’m dealing with, above?)