For the first time in months I have logged on to WordPress. I created the blog in January this year, it was on my list of “resolutions” and I was proud to put a big “tick” next to it. But does it really qualify as completing a resolution if you don’t stick to it? There are just 10 weeks until the start of 2017, when many of us will be making a brand new set of resolutions.
When the end of a year is approaching I like to reflect on the year just gone and contemplate the ups and downs, the achievements and the things that I didn’t quite stick to. I started this blog as a way of documenting my new life as a parent, the things that I found tough, how I dealt with the good and the bad, what helped me to find my own way of doing things. I addressed the struggles of infertility, the process of going through IVF, the fears I had of losing my identity, how my husband and I tried to overcome the feelings of being ships passing in the night, and many more topics in between.
I found writing the blog therapeutic, I enjoyed seeing comments and interacting with other bloggers. I enjoyed reading other blogs and seeing them develop and gain more followers. On my last count I had 60+ followers. And yet I stopped Blogging – why?
I don’t really have an answer, except that Blogging just wasn’t a priority. I always say that if you want to do something badly enough, be that working out, writing a book, learning an instrument; you will make time if it is a priority for you. If it isn’t then it will get pushed to the back of the list of things to do. And that is completely fine. For the past few months my priorities have centred around family and home life. I would have loved to have kept the momentum going, to have expanded and improved my blog in ways that I see many other bloggers have done, but it hasn’t been my priority. And so it is no good sitting here thinking “I wish my blog looked as good as theirs” or “I wish I could find as much inspiration to write as often as they do”.
My blog as has always been there in the back of my mind; not wanting all of the time and effort that I put in at the start of the year to have been a waste. Thinking of reviving my blog has been a source of anxiety….where would I start? What would I blog about? How would I improve the look and the content? I don’t own a laptop or any fancy software. What could I realistically achieve with frantically tapping my two thumbs on my iPhone to create content?
Until finally I decided to take my own advice on something I feel strongly about….just do it, create the content and put it out there. It doesn’t have to be planned out, it can be typed up as the thoughts come in to your head, it isn’t going to be perfect, it doesn’t have to be. Just create something, break the writing block, upload the blog and take it from there. Don’t be afraid to start. Once you start, then you can improve. If you chase perfection from the beginning then you will probably never start.
Beyond Mummy 