So for the last month I’ve been working on the very website you see before you now, just trying to get it to look, ‘read’ and behave how I would like. Honestly it’s been a very steep learning curve! it was the little things that I got stuck on; even though I feel like creating a simple website in this day and age should be easy, it took me a good couple of evenings just to get my instagram feed to come through (is it just me or have you run across the same problem?) and I haven’t even started on trying to add a ‘share’ or ‘subscribe’ button. In fact its a bit like so many things in life; you think to yourself, of course I can do it, it will be easy! just give me 5 min… then two hours later your still trying to work out how to sew on that button/paint on winged eye-liner/ bleed a radiator and the evening’s gone by in a blur and it’s bed time. Anyway, while trying to get this masterpiece up and running I feel like I’ve been through a crash course in life as well as blogging and here are some things that I have learnt the hard way, bring on the bullet points!
- Have a dream– one of the most important things is to be able see the BIG picture and frame it. Take some time to work out where you would like to go; be it with what you would like to say with your blog, or it might be something like loosing weight and how you would like to feel at the end of your journey. Just use your imagination and dream as large as possible.
- Once you have your dream, you can start thinking about your goals- These are all the different components that you need to be able to tie your dream together with a big beautiful bow. For example to go on a wonderful holiday your goals might be to find the flights, find the hotel, research the country, and save up some money.
- It is a wonderful feeling to have your goals, (you now now in which direction to go) but to achieve them you need to break them down, tiny, bite size, crumb size if you can, minuscule little pieces- So, if you wanted to save some money you might decide that you want to have coffee at work, rather than Costa and take a packed lunch rather than buy one, it’s amazing how little changes add up.
- Now because these morsels are so small you should be able to complete them quickly and plan your time– spend only 20 minutes, half an hour tops. When you’re trying to do something new it can become really frustrating and it’s much better to spend 20 minutes really concentrating that 2 hours on several different items and not getting anything finished.
- Take breaks– just step away from the computer/diet/book/exercise once you’re time is up, it’s absolutely fine to get into a creative flow but when you are s.t.r.u.g.g.l.i.n.g there is nothing worse than feeling completely useless, frustrated and maybe in pain. It will do nothing for you and it’s amazing what your brain will work on without you even thinking about it.
- To avoid the aforementioned situation it is always better to ask… anyone and everyone! google, youtube, your best friend, your neighbour, rather than struggling for hours by yourself. Swallow your pride and just remember no one is born knowing how to do it.
- Remember with anything new there is a huge learning curve but just stick with it and persevere and it will get easier…(hopefully my blogging skills will improve some time about now).
- One thing that some people might forget; unless you are absolutely, positively positive that your online presence/blog/website is completely anonymous (if in doubt ask someone in IT) or the person your sharing your feelings with is completely trustworthy, be very careful when you write/say anything negative about your work/friends/family. Even about yourself, be selective with whom you share yourself with, your brain is a special thing and must be protected.
- Make the most of every spare minute of your day– our days are filled with what I think of as ‘dead’ time, especially if you work for someone else, or have other people making demands on your time. For me it’s the journey to work and my lunch break, I don’t know about you but sometimes I just want to switch off and relax but always surprise myself at how much can be done in just 15 minutes brain storming in the morning or how much can be learnt listening to an audio book on the way to work.
- Celebrate!– every victory, every breakthrough, every step or shuffle that gets you closer to where you want to be, the world you want to create and the person you want to become. Be proud of yourself, you’ve worked so hard to get there.
Wonderful to ready your post Georgina
It’s reassuring to know I am not the only one that gets stuck with techie stuff too!
Yes, there are many lessons to be learnt whilst blogging as well as in life.
I trust you are enjoying the journey. Keep up the good work.
What an uplifting website to stumble across. I am shuffling my way slowly but surely to the next goal already. Nice to find a motivational article which is humble and transparent. I can certainly identify with such a writer as Georgina.