The definition of a habit is “a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up.” One of my lifelong habits is PROCRASTINATION. Sometimes I think it’s terrible trait to possess, and other times it’s not too shabby.
In college, I’d wait until the last minute to write a paper or study for an exam, and then pull an all nighter in the library. It was exciting to buy a bunch of study snacks (Diet Mt. Dew and Chex Mix were my jam), put on my study clothes, and lay claim to a corner in the back of the stacks. On one hand, I enjoyed the rush I felt knowing I had x amount of time until a deadline. On the other, my anxiety level would shoot through the roof to an uncomfortable level. Then, when those frantic hours of work would earn an A, I would skip merrily out of the classroom, forgetting all of the stress I’d been put through. If I performed poorly, I would spend days beating myself up for not taking more time to prepare my best work.
Years later, as a self employed blogger I find myself dancing the same routine. Whether I need a regular blog post to update my page, or if have a sponsored due date looming, I wait until the night before (or sometimes the morning) to throw everything together. I’ve been complimented on my ability to produce a new blog post every day, but what no one knows is the insanity that’s required to make it happen.
Dream big. Work hard. Stay focused. And surround yourself with good people.
Sometimes I find it hard to call myself successful. It’s like I’m working as hard as I ever had lately, but then I realize I could do so much more. I’ve been so hard on myself I’m not sleeping at night because even though I see myself growing and doing better, I can’t see progress. There isn’t a scale for a blogger to measure oneself upon in terms of success – we aren’t given raises or pats on the back. We are our own bosses.
One of my favorite quotes shall be posted in my office someday.
Thankfully, I’m surrounded by a group of motivating, empowering people that push me to be my best self. Family, friends, my two little girls, fellow bloggers and small business owners – they are who keep me chugging along on the days, like today, I feel like a pile of suck. With them and some good dance jams, I can push through anything.
I think it’s important to note that, just because people are impressed that you post every day, this doesn’t mean that you should or NEED to post every day. There are PLENTY of successful bloggers that have a 3 posts per week, or even 1 post per week. As long as it’s consistent, your audience will know when to come looking for a new post. So, don’t beat yourself up in order to have a new post every day. We are all human 🙂
P.S. I say this to you, and I say this to myself. We all have our strengths and weaknesses.