It’s a rainy afternoon and I’m in one of my reflection moods with a cup of tea by my side. If you really ask me this is my dream afternoon. A time when you just chill, scribble your thoughts on a piece of paper while having the drink you LOVE! So what am I reflecting on? Well, it’s been a full year since I started blogging and it certainly has been an unusual year. If you’ve read the About section on mywholenineyards.com you know that it took me more than a decade to actually take the action to start blogging. Now that I have, it seems like a part of me. It’s something I do over the weekend, or when I have some extra time. I’ve been thinking about what are some of the things this routine has revealed to me. Let’s dive right into it:
1. Getting started is the key
It took me forever to start. I kept struggling between a compelling urge to share my thoughts and a self-critical mindset that I’m not good enough. Why would anyone want to know what I have to say? I am no expert! Will I ever be an expert? Is there only one expert on a topic in the world? Should I just keep it as a thought journal, share my experience or dare to share my POV? What if I get bored of it in 3 months? What if I lose interest in the topic?
These and million other thoughts plagued me then (they still do). Even so, on a fateful day of June 2022, I decided to get a domain and still sat on it for 3 months until September 3 when I shared my very first POST! 🙂 Now when I think about it, strangely I feel proud. ( Ahem! a weird feeling for me :)). Looking back I have managed to share a post every week barring a very busy one month period and here we are a year later and 44 posts older! 🙂 Only because I started and published my first post.
2. I have an outlet to share my thoughts
My self-critique is not always my best friend. It usually reminds me that the posts I share are not that great, I don’t have anything amazing to share with the world and that I have wasted my time and money over nothing! Unfortunately, such moments are more frequent than I would like. To avoid falling into the rabbit hole of self-pity I need to remind myself of all that I have gained in the past year. Through my posts I have shared what I really think about a few topics in general.
I genuinely believe that there could be more people like me who think like me and so, they could at least be comforted a bit. By just knowing the fact that they are not alone! It’s been a therapeutic experience to share my thoughts on any topic related to life. It would be a bonus for me if there are people who can relate to what I share about life in these posts.
3. I feel more confident
If you catch my drift. It’s as if I’ve been writing these posts for myself. It’s been a wonderful experience for me. For the first couple of months I just kept posting and prayed that not a soul (in my known circle) finds out about it. Strangely it did not matter if strangers stumbled upon it. After a couple of months I shared it with one friend, yes just ONE! It remained so for the whole year as far as me actively sharing that I have a blog thing goes. Haha it sounds funny even to me when I say it out loud! 🙂 Nevertheless, that’s how I wanted it.
Yet, I went ahead and created a Pinterest and an Instagram account just to see how would that work and how regular I’d posting there. Still praying and doing everything in my power that people I knew wouldn’t happen upon the profile. Even then, a few of those did happen to see the account and asked me about it. I still remember the shock I had when the first person pinged to ask if it was me! Long story short, a year later, I feel less of those feelings and will be okay to go out there and let people see what I’m sharing.
4. It’s hard work but satisfying
Oh yes! It takes time. It takes effort to write, to proofread to edit, to take pictures, to think about ideas. I still wish I could give it as much time as I really wanted. But with limited hours in a day and a full time job it’s not that easy. It’s time consuming and takes a good deal of planning to schedule, when will you take pictures, when will you write and what topics will you write about. Yet at the end of each post it’s a pleasure to see the end result. I can say that with each new post, I learn a little more about the process and it helps me gain more clarity about the direction I want to take.
5. Learning new skills is a bonus
It’s a no brainer that when you start something new, you need to also learn new skills. It’s been wonderful to learn about blogging, writing, photography, Pinterest, SEO and many other things. It was a magical feeling when my website went live, as the posts grew and I could play with various features. It’s still one of the fun things I enjoy to learn more about. I’m grateful for all the material that’s out there already to learn from. Countless articles, courses and Youtube videos.
6. The uncomfortable feeling doesn’t go away yet, its fun
A lot of the doubts and my self-critique I mentioned is still very much with me. Every now and then I get a feeling nah! I’m no good and I should quit. Yes, I can quit, but another voice says I want to go on and see more. Yes, I will have doubts, yes my posts aren’t perfect, my pictures aren’t perfect and yes I don’t have enough time. But I can go easy on myself. If that means one day the post will go a little late that’s okay! If I have to skip one week, that’s okay. I still can go on most of the weeks and continue to learn and make my voice a bit more articulate with every new post!
7. There’s a – ‘What’s next?’
On that positive note. I am thrilled that I did last a whole year! I managed to share what I think and feel every week. More importantly, I would like to continue to do that. It might sound corny, but even while writing this post my resolve somehow became stronger. So, I have a plan and a vision for the coming year. It’s be nice to look at everything I shared for the past year. I will be more strategic with clear goals and action steps for this year. What are those and how do they turn out? Something to watch out for! 🙂
Until next week. Ciao!
