Well, honestly, I have issues.
I had an idea of what blogging was going to be...and it wasn't measuring up.
There's crazy parts of me that has high expectations, trying to keep up with others, reading the stats too much, not really techy but trying to be.... I said I have issues.
I realized I was emotionally up and down based on shares, likes, subscribers...it was crazy. I was trying all this different angles that might appeal to different people- how to word your title, what to tag, how to set up pages, sharing on all the social media sites you can. Even timing posts to publish according to the "peak" time for it to be read and shared. I was totally having "comparison issues" by trying to add all sorts of features that I liked about other blogs (did I mention I was not, am not, techy...yeah, I was causing myself all sorts of stress.) I was worried that my name wasn't the best for me and not original enough because lo and behold after entering the blogging world I discovered another hodgepodge blog that was way cooler, had tons of art stuff I love to pin and use for my kiddos and the best part is her last name is Hodge. Duh! Makes sense. Also, I thought this would be a fun avenue to share with my bestie but found I was basically doing it alone (no offense Jamie- I know schedules are crazy and you had to put up with my ocd issues about trying to put out a cool blog ;)...)
Now after reading that, you will probably look over the blog so far and think I can't tell she tried anything cool...thanks. ;) Actually, getting those little social media buttons on the side was a miracle!
Well, I quit. The last post I published was 3 1/2 months ago. I even had 3 posts ready to go, I just had to click publish. Time would go by and I'd think, "I should publish that..." but I didn't.
So I thought "Why am I so resistant to post?"
I decided to reevaluate why I even wanted to start a blog in the first place.
1. I wanted a place to keep track of fun family things we were experiencing like our Foodie Fridays.
2. I wanted to share my heart in written word- even if just for myself.
3. I wanted to provide a resource and encouragement for anybody that may want it- particularly in homeschooling.
I did not intend to
1. Make money blogging
2. Have thousands of followers
3. Be so successful at blogging that talk shows all over the world would have me as a guest to share my expertise and wisdom! ...Although, maybe that's what I thought would happen with those high expectations I put on myself!! ;)
I went back and read my "About Us" page and realized I was right- I'm somebody who can do a lot of things semi-well. I have tons of different interests and hobbies. I am multifaceted. I am a hodgepodge. So there ya go. I will start my blog up again. Share my heart. And who cares who reads it. It'll be one more thing I do- for me. And it'll be fun.
And I'm going to try real hard not to look at the stats page. ;)
Oh, just some advice? If you read someone's blog and enjoyed even just a little, let 'em know. I have a feeling there more people out there like me. It's nice to be liked. ;)
