You see, some people might say that they have music within them.
Me, I have the written word.
Have you ever heard the phrase “Jack of all trades, master of none?”
This is a phrase that I have used to describe myself for much of my life, because I have always been a woman of many interests. If you look back on the list of things I have done in my life, it almost seems unreal: Dancer, hockey player, pageant participant, women’s college attendee, deployed member of the armed services, NICU nurse, mother, wife… blogger.
And truthfully, I’ve always made fun of myself about this laundry list of interests, making comments like, “Oh, I guess I am just a restless soul,” or, “It’s where my Type B personality shines through.” But the truth is, I just really like to crush life!
One would think that the life I lead is busy enough, why add one more thing to it? I am a NICU nurse, and I worked very hard to get there. I work long shifts (12-13 hours, to be precise), but only two days a week. I get to stay home with my small children five days a week, which has the added benefit of almost making me feel like I’m a stay at home mom. My husband and I are avid projectors, having purchased a 70s fixer-upper on an acre of land, and that in itself could be considered a full time job. But I always wanted something just a little bit more.
You see, some people might say that they have music within them.
Me, I have the written word.
It’s something that makes my soul sing. Sharing a message in a clear and concise manner is something that fulfills me. Putting my thoughts and feelings down on paper literally lifts me up. And so, I’ve become what I like to call “an unlikely blogger.”
Set Apart From The Rest
When looking at the world of bloggers, I frequently see two distinct sets of “types.”
The first is a group of entrepreneurs who are out there slaying it. They see the untapped potential that lives out there in the virtual world, and they make it theirs.
Then there are the beloved mompreneurs. Oh, how I love these women. They are most often stay at home moms who are able to seemingly do it all. These women take their circumstances and grab them by the horns and say, “I own you.” Man I admire that courage and determination!
Me, I’m one of the outliers.
One of the ones who doesn’t really have the time or energy to run a monetized blog, but who does it anyway. It isn’t my career or my sole obligation in life. I’m not home seven days a week to complete projects and write about them. And, for the LOVE, I don’t even have any photography or IT experience to back me up. What was I thinking?
The Advantage
Are you one of these individuals?
Are you an “outlier” like me, just trying to figure out how to fit into the world of people who can seemingly run their blogs in their sleep?
Rest assured, you are not alone.
When you are up at night, cutting into your already short night’s rest thinking about the 7 ZILLION things you have to do in the next 24 hours, I’m right there with you.
In fact, I’m probably typing bullet points into the seemingly endless “notes” in my phone. Or finding a scrap of coloring book paper to crayon my brainstorming onto.
But just when you feel as if you are at your breaking point, I want to ask you to take a step back. When you feel that you are physically, mentally, emotionally strapped for time or energy, take a deep breath. Because in the end you may find that you are like me: A Jack of all trades, Master of many. Then take one more deep breath, take out your planner, and get out there and kill it. Because that’s what you do, after all. Slay on, outliers, slay on.
Liz Drew is 1/2 of the team, and editor of The House of Drews, a home renovation and lifestyle blog team working to kick the 70s out of her fixer-upper one project at a time. She would love to see you over at thehouseofdrews.com soon, where she will share her secrets of making an old house a lovely home, with storage solutions tucked into every nook and cranny.
Reminds me of my early days of blogging. I had all the energy in the world, my entire life revolved around blogging. Those were the fun days.
One critical factor every blogger needs to remember is that blogging is a long term game.
It takes a lot of time and effort to build a blog. We are talking two to three years of sustained effort every single day; I know bloggers who spend over eight to 10 hours a day on their blogs.
The #1 reason most bloggers fail is that they stop working on their blog after the initial excitement wears off. Don’t be that blogger. Stick to it for the long term. Be prepared for a marathon NOT a sprint. There’s also a big risk of burn out, so pace yourself like you would in a marathon.
Vinil,
Thank you so much for your kindness! It came at a time when I was feeling down, and being very hard on myself. I appreciate the way you lifted me up, and I’ll always remember your encouragement!