I Took a Break
Dear Friends,
So last week I abruptly took a break from anything that had to do with anything online such as posting on my blog, commenting on other blogs, tweeting, and interacting with my online circle of friends.
While I did occasionally check email due to some other business that I was trying to sort out, my decision to escape the online world for a week was sudden and quick, and it was simply based on the fact that I felt burnt out and I had developed writers block. My life was completely out of balance and I didn’t know what to do next.
Spending Way Too Much Time Online
I was spending so much time writing posts and interacting with so many very supportive and fun friends online that I had begun neglecting other areas of my life. And by that I just mean simple things, like enjoying the sunshine, getting things done around the house, baking and making good meals, and just simply enjoying life.
Why? Because I loved building this new network of friends and learning about so many different people. I didn’t want to miss what everyone else was up to. I feel inspired by all the wonderful things that all of you write about and it helps me discover new options and new ways of doing things.
The second reason I was spending so much time online was because I am an analytical person that is driven by stats and accomplishments. I wanted to do the best that I could do in the quickest amount of time in regards to building my new blog.
Quitter
You see so many times in my life I have started something and quit before really accomplishing anything at all. I would lose my focus, lose my desire, lose my momentum, and nothing would get done.
Does that happen to any of you?
This blog was meant to be different. I vowed that when I started this blog (only 4 months ago) that I would work hard on it. To me that meant publishing 3 to 4 posts a week (sometimes more), building a friendly following, networking, and connecting with wonderful people online, and increasing my stats on a daily basis.
A Typical Day
A typical day for me consisted of posting, approving comments, replying to comments when I could, commenting on 40 other blogs, and tweeting from sunrise to dinner time, and writing for other blogs so that I could earn money.
Some days I would even write all of my posts for the following week.
Is it Easy
When I started this blog did I think that it was going to be easy? Not at all.
Did I think that I would eventually burn out, and\or develop writers block? Absolutely, at some point.
But isn’t that just a fact of life?
Writers Block
Some of the most famous writers in the world develop writers block at some point in their lives. And heck I am nowhere near ever becoming a famous writer. I don’t want to be.
I am just someone who in 2004 began dreaming about developing a website that one day might become something.
My dream was to create a website for women and fill it with all kinds of resources that they would find helpful. So many websites just like that have been created over the years. None of them mine. Then all of the mompreneur sites popped up and again became very popular. Since I’m not a mom creating a site like that was never on my radar.
Money and Debt
So there it was, January 2012 and I still felt the desire to have my own site. But what would it be about?
Then I thought why not build a blog around money and debt? Money and debt is a huge issue in my life and I know it is for so many other people.
But as I began to write a few personal posts about these issues in my life I began feeling quite vulnerable and immediately began worrying about how people would react to what I wrote. “Would so and so think less of me because I am in debt and they aren’t?”
What happened next? I stepped back into my comfort zone. From that point forward my posts were still about things that I really enjoy, but in general terms. Nothing that made me feel vulnerable and nothing that really helped me with my debt issue.
Where Do I Go From Here?
Honestly, at this point I am not even sure what my next steps are. I am not sure what I will write about, how much time I can devote to my online activities on an on-going basis, and of course, how to deal with money and debt. Two things I do know is that I am not going to quit blogging, and I am going to work on restoring some sort of balance in my daily life.
To My Circle of Friends
But to you my friends I want to say how happy I am to get to know each and everyone of you. Each week one of you introduces me to someone new and wonderful. Some of you live quite far away and some of you only live a few hours away, but nonetheless, online we are all so close. Thank you for supporting me, checking up on me, and motivating me. I will do my best to provide you with the same!
Before you leave quickly check out this cartoon about spending too much time online. Let me know if you can relate?
Source: http://tacklingourdebt.com/2012/06/11/it-was-time-take-break/
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