I’ve not participated in Quote Quest since the start of the year, and we’re already over half-way through March! In general, I have been quiet on my blog for several months now, and it feels like I’ve been avoiding it in a way. This is probably a mistake, so I thought I’d write this post to reconnect with my writing self. And to wave a nod of acknowledgement to the other bloggers out there (some of whom I really admire for their dedication to their sites).
LSB’s quote for this week’s Quote Quest is “Mistakes are the portals of discovery.” – James Joyce. As I mentioned in the title, I have made numerous mistakes; some relating to the running and maintenance of this blog. Others- general mistakes I’ve made throughout life in my career or personal/family areas. In terms of the blog, the mistakes I’ve made include:
- technical errors and failing to educate myself enough in the technical aspects of running a site.
- not regularly writing for a selection of memes that I participate in; I’m very sporadic with Sinful Sunday, Quote Quest, Wicked Wednesday and Share Our Shit Saturday projects. This means I often feel disconnected from the blogosphere. I’m not placing blame on anyone else for this; it really is my own short-coming.
- Neglecting to reach out to other bloggers to collaborate on posts/ offer guest posts. And just not reaching out enough in general, to say ‘Hey, how are you holding up?’
I’m sure there are many other errors that I could write about, but for the purposes of keeping this post relatively ‘light’ rather than heavy, I’m not going to dwell too much on all the mistakes I make (and have made). That would probably demotivate me, which is kind of the opposite of what I want to do!
So how can I do better? I think the most important way for me to do better is to stop comparing myself to others so much. It’s a mistake to undermine the achievements I have made because I have an inferiority complex when I see what my peers are doing and achieving. We all run our own race. I may not so much run mine, as meander through getting lost and distracted. This happens far more than I care to admit. Although I am admitting it here, :p
Rather than agonising over what I’ve done or not done, I’m better off being happy that I gave something a go at least. To try something and fail is more fruitful than not attempting it at all. We grow from realising our pitfalls and limitations. Having spent so much of my daughter’s early years being at home with her, I have isolated myself a lot. It’s tricky to focus on much else when you are ‘on demand’ as a parent/ entertainer/ educator. At least, I find it difficult. Perhaps that is my own limitation. Knowing this means I can learn to accept that I’m not always going to be firing on all cylinders on my site. And you know what, that is okay.
Whether people ‘judge’ me or not on that basis is neither up to me to know or be concerned about too much. I overthink on a range of subjects, and sometimes it’s more of a hindrance than a help. Another mistake I think I make is fearing what could go wrong, so I paralyse myself into not taking action by ruminating over the ‘what ifs’ and ‘buts.’
I want to become braver though. Not just for my own sake, but to show my little one the importance of trying even if it means not succeeding. Even if it means falling arse-over-elbow and having to pick myself up and dust myself off. That is how we grow, and to miss out on that is the biggest mistake of all.
How do you help yourself feel inspiration /motivation?
What gets you moving in the face of adversity? Please share your insights in the comments below as I do love to interact with my readers.
I think that you should not reproach yourself for not participating in “mass events”. Write what you want and when you can. This will be your personality, which in my opinion is the most valuable.
This is true; thank you Lisa. I think I reproach myself in part because I want to ‘belong’ and sometimes I feel like an outsider, not just in the blogging community but in a lot of aspects of life. I think it stems from moving with my family so much at a younger age.
I feel a lot of us have been quite in the past few months. I know I have.
The situation in the world is hard and we all struggle.
I agree with you! We need to try and maybe fail.
That way we learn.
I think the majority of us struggle with comparing ourselves to others. The trick is to catch ourselves when we do it and be ready to remind ourselves that we are doing our best and our best is good enough.
When I struggle with motivation…I begin the “what is one thing I can do right now” process. Once foot in front of the other without looking too far in advance (which tends to stress me out.).
That’s some sage advice there Brigit- catch ourselves and remind ourselves we are enough!
Yes, the what can I do now motivation process is a winner, as you start and then you carry on. It’s starting with a few simple ones that is the key I find.
Do not reproach yourself for what you did not do. If you do something “through cant” the result will be so-so. Write when you can, I’ll read it with interest.