Hi! I’m back! Yay for writing, and for inspiration… which, in my case, seems to be the cure inertia (aka not working on my blog!)
In case it wasn’t obvious, I don’t make my living with this blog. Actually, so far, i haven’t made a cent with this blog, but I’ve gotten some really amazing shout-outs and recognition, and some free workout bands (thanks FitSimplify💗) What I have also gotten from my blog is the satisfaction of finally creating something I should have started years ago, and being proud of that creation. It makes me genuinely happy when readers/followers like my content. Also, I actually love to write! So you might wonder why I haven’t shared anything for TWO MONTHS!! Yeah, me too!!
In my defense, Earl and I have had a lot going on, including shoulder surgery, travel, this horrible flu, pneumonia, the Holidays, one of our doggies hurting his leg and mouth, etc. Also, over the last two months someone who I considered a dear friend became very critical of my style, my Instagram posts, and ultimately stopped talking to me. That not only upset me, but it also really made me question my blog/”brand”. I kept posting on Instagram and Facebook, but I couldn’t motivate myself to sit down and write.
Then, as if I weren’t stalled enough, model Kim Alexis stopped following me on Instagram. Don’t laugh!!! She (aka her Social Media Manager) had followed me for a long time, liked, and even commented on, my posts. I have been a huge admirer of hers since the 1980s, so of course i was devastated when she unfollowed me. I know how the game is played; you follow to get followers when you’re growing your Insta page, but I thought Kim actually liked my content! Seriously, don’t laugh!!! I was sad and confused. Ok, now you can laugh, but it did kind of hurt my feelings and make me question my content. “She” unfollowed approximately 2000 others over that weekend, so I knew it wasn’t personal. Ridiculous, I know…
Ok, so now you’ve heard my myriad excuses… what was really going on was sort of a combo of lack of confidence and failure to engage. Have you ever felt that way? We probably all have. What got me back on track was positive energy and encouragement sent my way from my cheerleader-friends and -husband, a little photo shoot with my amazing photographer Gladysjem, and just STARTING. I had a solid list of ideas, so I finally just told myself to write a little bit, post some pics and get back on track. You can always delete, right?? My girlfriend Julie (@julieschindlerdesign) and I talk about this idea all the time: how when you have an overwhelming list of tasks to accomplish, you just pick any one and GET STARTED. It really does work! I’m not sure why I wasn’t adhering to that strategy!! Baby steps, right??
I should mention that I had a lot of help and guidance setting up my blog on WordPress… mostly free help… for which I am eternally grateful. I couldn’t bear the thought that I had wasted people’s time and energy, or was letting someone down. So, again, I just told myself to do something… ANYTHING!
If you’re still with 😂, I hope you got the gist of this post: I’m super excited to be sharing again, if you’re stalled, just do SOMETHING, even a tiny something, to get the ball rolling, and have confidence because you are amazing!
Thanks for following!
-LM💗
Lisa Melora 