I was having one of those days yesterday.
I was feeling overwhelmed, frustrated and ready to climb under the bed covers and give all of this blogging and writing stuff a miss.
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Here is yesterday’s thought process.
Why the hell didn’t I pick something easier?
For some absurd reason, I decided I wanted to make a living as a blogger and writer.
Truly what was I thinking? Being creative is challenging.
Being a successful blogger sometimes feels like it’s up there with wanting to be a singer or an actor.
It can feel like you are a very small fish in a very large pond.
There are days it all seems a bit too hard.
So what are my options?
I could give up blogging. I could throw in the towel and move on.
There you go, I said it – I could give up.
No shame in it.
People would understand, some people close to me would probably be happy about it actually.
In their eyes, I could go back to being ‘normal’ with an 8 – 5 job that deposits money into my bank account every two weeks.
Life would go on as before.
I think about that for a while, rolling the idea around in my head.
I could give up.
There is just one big problem.
Despite the overwhelm, fear and frustration – I don’t want to give up.
This is what I want to do.
Deep down I believe this is what I am meant to be doing.
If you are feeling like I was yesterday, take a deep breath.
Then take a short break.
I went for a walk to the local store to buy cat food (some chocolate may have found its way into my shopping bag but it’s a mystery how it got there).
Then I came home and focused on work for three hours. I completed a task I’d been meaning to get done for ages.
Tick. Things were already improving.
Struggling with self-doubt? Having a hard time making the progress you want in your chosen field?
Hang in there.
Take a short break to recharge, then think about the next important task you need to do that can make a difference to your business or blog.
Then get stuck into it.
If you need help with your creativity, Steven Kotler runs a course over at CreativeLive called Get Into Your Creative Flow. For anyone who has ever been in the zone and wants to be there a lot more often, this course is for you.
Don’t give up. Make your mark. Do what you are meant to do.
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Glad to hear you aren’t giving up. It can be easy to get wrapped up in a spur of the moment depression. I learned ages ago to wait another day or so before reacting on those feelings.
And chocolate magicaly appears in my shopping trolley every week too. I imagine there’s some sort of sales elf who slips it in there when we aren’t looking. I guess that’s his 9-5 job.
Hi Kirstie
Long live the chocolate elf!
Thanks for commenting. Great to see you here again. It is always lovely to hear your take on things.
Cheers
Thea
Hi Thea,
I feel you so much. You know sometimes I feel exactly the same way as you describe in that article. I decided to get in the world of blogging, Internet Marketing and all that stuff. I really like a lot because I learn a lot of things. This fields is new for me and I am excited. Nevertheless, I have no monthly income.
I am currently working to build an individual company in Greece and I do some part time blogging. Many times I feel angry because I make a lot of effort but everything is new to me…
I am not an expert in writing. I write in ENglish which is not my nmother tongue and it makes things harder. And sometimes I have this feeling of ” I could give up”.
A year ago, I had the 9-5 job, a big salary and I could buy and do whatever I wanted…but I didn’t like my life. So I decided to change it. And here I am.
And these days that I feel like you describe, I do nothing related to blogging. I just go out, do some sports and I know that the next day will be much better!
Thank you for the opportunity you gave me to tell how I feel 🙂
Have a nice WE
Hi Lenia
Thank you for this honest and open comment. I really appreciate it.
I can only imagine how hard it would be writing and blogging in another language. You are doing a fabulous job considering English is not your first language. I hear you on the 9-5 job and the big salary. Adjusting to a different lifestyle can be hard (more so on certain days than others). I like the idea of getting out more when things get tough, I need to be doing more of that myself. Which sports do you do when you need some time out?
I look forward to hearing more about the company you are setting up and I wish you every success with it.
I am so glad you had the opportunity to express yourself freely. I wasn’t going to publish the post at first but then I thought about how many people probably feel exactly the same way on occasion and decided to run with it.
Again always lovely to hear from you.
I hope you have a great Easter. Do you have a big celebration for Easter? (I hope you don’t mind me asking, always curious about if and how other cultures celebrate things) 🙂
Cheers
Thea
Hi Thea,
Thank you for your answer.
I love sports and when i want to have some time out whether I do some jogging or I practice capoeira. I used to have some capoeira courses when i lived in Paris but there is no such type of sports on Chios Island. So, I try to practice by myself but it is not easy. Sometimes i go swimming. Now, I am waiting for the summer and I promised my self to go at the beach and swim there 🙂 whether i have a lot of work or not!
As far as the company, it is an individual company of web development and Internet marketing. I have an engineering background but I don’t have a professional experience on that field. Besides that, I have discovered the field and i loved it so i decided to build a company and offer that kind of services. The company is an individual one and I am currently working to find some customers but the crisis makes things more difficult.
What about you? What is your current job? do you manage to get an income from blogging?
As fas as Easter, thank you for the wishes. Actually the orthodox easter is on the 15th of April this year and here in Greece there is a big celebration. I am going to write an article about that soon in my blog because I want to give a different image of Greece. Did you celebrate Easter as well? Do you do something special in Australia?
See you Thea. It is a pleasure to have met you 🙂
Hi Lenia
Thank you so much for your wonderful comment. Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.
I had to look up capoeira, I wasn’t sure what it was, so did a quick Google search, Wow sounds like it would be amazing though. I forgot you are heading into summer there, we are heading into winter at this end.
Thanks for sharing your plans for your company, I hope it all goes well. It is definitely hard starting out that is for sure and the tough market over there must makes it even harder.
At the moment I only have a small, irregular affiliate income from the blog. It’s taking a little longer than I would like to get established but I was prepared for that. I have been applying for part time admin roles as well (I have been a personal assistant/secretary for many years) so hoping something will come up there to help boost income. I had a casual reception job for a couple of months at the end of last year so that cam in handy. It was through a friend so even better, no hassles with recruitment agencies, I just turned up and started working.
I hope your Easter celebration went well. Come to think of it you mentioned it was the 15th, so you might be in the thick of it still. You mentioned you were going to write about it on the blog so I will have to pop over and check it out.
I had a very quiet Easter this year. My family don’t normally get together for Easter. I worked a bit and caught up with a few friends which was nice.
Thanks again for your great comment and I look forward to chatting again soon.
Cheers
Thea
This was timely; I often wonder whether I’m crazy. I keep seeing other writers on Twitter making some major headway and I wonder, What am I doing wrong?! Then I have to remind myself that I’m still relatively new to this, I’m still figuring things out, and I’m doing pretty well for where I am.
A break and some chocolate are always good things. I’m glad you’re going to keep at it, and I’m glad I’m not the only one who sometimes hits that wall. Hugs to you!
Hi Liz
Great to see you here again. Hugs back to you as well. 🙂
I can definitely relate to your ‘I’m crazy’ and ‘What am I doing wrong’ thoughts.
If it makes you feel any better I was thinking the other day how fantastic it is that you have several short stories up on Amazon. You should definitely be proud of what you have produced so far. Like you said you just have to think about your progress and not everyone else’s. Obviously easier said than done on those days we have a down moment.
Again thanks for commenting, it is always wonderful to have your input.
Cheers
Thea
Yeah, sometimes I wish my passion had been cardiothoracic surgery or engineering or ANYTHING EASIER.
Hi Britt
Thanks for leaving a comment, lovely to see you here again.
Glad to see my post struck a chord with you as well, good to know not alone. 🙂
I hope everything is going well for you. I have been following you on Facebook but I need to dive back into your blog and have a good look around.
Cheers
Thea