Towards end of last year, I find myself reflecting over the year. What have I learned? What worked? What didn’t work? In order to move forward you must look back, reflect, assess so you can charge ahead and really make a difference, make an impact on what it is you are working towards. So, as I reflect, I’m sharing the 5 things I’ve learned after blogging for the past year.
Just Go For It. My best advice is if you have the desire to start something new, just go for it. Take a chance and start something new – whatever it is that motivates you, whatever it is that you are passionate about. We tend to over analyze our thoughts and let the negativity and self-doubt get in the way. Fear of failure. Fear of the unknown. What’s on the other side? Over the past year, I’ve consciously tried to practice blocking out any negative thoughts or self-doubt. At first it’s hard, I will be the first one to admit that – meditation helps. I found that like anything else in life, it’s practice. The more you practice blocking out the negativity in your mind, the easier it becomes to stay focused on the positive – which will ultimately allow you to reach your maximum potential.
Don’t stop. When you find it difficult, keep going. There have been many times that I wanted to give up. What I’ve learned over the past year, it is in that moment of weakness you have the decision to make: You either give up or you keep pushing ahead. I’ve found the most important thing is perseverance – you keep going – don’t stop. Because it is at that moment something great will happen. And once that starts to happen, it becomes almost addictive to never give up. And not to mention easier to push ahead!
It’s OK to take a break. If you find yourself stuck on a new endeavor or new project or for me, experiencing writers block, I always step away: take a walk, have a cup of coffee, have lunch – anything, just take a break then come back to the task at hand. This helps not only clear your head but also puts you in a different environment and you most likely will come back to the project even more inspired than when you started. And this applies to anything in life, not just writing. It’s OK to take a break. You will find that welcoming short breaks, helps you to keep going. Some of my best writing is not the first draft, but the second and third drafts.
There are no rules. I’ve found that there are a lot of articles out there about blogging that say in order to have a successful blog you need to post X times a week, X times a month. I’ve actually found that there are no set rules when it comes to blogging. You should write and post articles as much or as little as you feel comfortable with. And this translates to any project really. I consider writing and blogging to be an art form. No one told Pablo Picasso that he needed to paint 3 new paintings in a week. Just do what feels right. I post as many as 2-3 articles in a week or as little as 1 article a week. It’s all about finding what works for you and go with it.
Be authentic. Above all else, be authentic. Living a truly authentic life is what is most important. And I’ve found that once you start tuning out all the negativity, whether it’s people or thoughts, it’s much easier to embrace the life that is meant for you.