"Comparing the incomparable..."
Unknown
“There are times to stay put, and what you want will come to you, and there are times to go out into the world and find such a thing for yourself.”
― Lemony Snicket
Today, as I sat down to compose another blog, I felt something I think we have all felt at one point or another.
That sluggish, pointless feeling that makes us feel uninspired, unmotivated and that our efforts are simply not worth it.
You can guess what this did to my interests in writing.
Uknown
Yup. It wilted.
Now, I told myself when I started Steemit that I would do my best to compose a blog everyday or every other day. I felt this type of consistency would get me where I wanted to be, which was to engage with thousands upon thousands of people.
After a little over a week; I have been entertained, interested and engaged.
You guys are pretty talented on here, seriously.
I think this platform is growing at a pretty good pace, but more importantly I am loyal to the concept. The concept of we the people curating content and rewarding them for their efforts through this new block-chain system.
A little after a week passed, I had gained 150 followers. It is a great start in my opinion, I'm happy that 150 of you are interested in the things I've posted so far, especially if you have taken time to engage.
With that being said, today I logged into Steemit and felt a bit discouraged. I questioned whether what I was doing was really worth anyone's time, and I started to wonder in the value of me posting.
Samuel F. B. Morse
Was I overthinking?
Perhaps.
Was I nervous my efforts were going to waste?
Perhaps.
It's so early, what if Steemit just shuts down and fails?
F**k.
Even when my rational side put things into perspective, I still felt this way. So today, instead of putting together one of my "quote stories," I decided to write about perseverance.
What is Perseverance?
Well Perseverance can mean different things to people, heck even a quick search will pop out varying definitions.
- Steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.
- Steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement
- Not giving up. It is persistence and tenacity, the effort required to do something and keep doing it till the end, even if it's hard.
- Continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition
We get the picture.
Well Perseverance is really just:
Stubbornness with a purpose.
So, what is my purpose?
To inspire, encourage and promote a happy living.
Or
To simply just give people a break from everyday life, something they can read or look at for a moment out of their day.
So what do I do when that unwelcome feeling tries to take over?
How can I take it over instead?
Firstly:
I try to remind myself of why I began in the first place and what my initial goal was. This is why setting a goal is so important, because when I have a moment of discouragement and I no longer feel like posting, I can remind myself to keep at it until I AT LEAST reach the initial goal. That way I can feel good knowing I completed the bare minimum of what I set out to do. If I quit after that, it becomes less about quitting and more about changing direction.
This is okay. We can't always force something that no longer works for us. Life is too short for that, move on to something else that makes you happy.
Secondly:
I engage.
Even when I am not in the mood to post, I do something other than posting that will help accomplish my initial goal. For me I browse other content and do the engaging myself. You might be surprised at the stuff you come across.
And hey, who knows, you might even come across a post that triggers an idea worth composing.
Lastly:
I put things into perspective.
For someone with thousands of followers , 150 is probably nothing to be excited about. But when you see those type of pages, take a look at when they started posting and how consistent they have been.
Most of them started a year ago, and have been posting non-stop since then. So, rather than discouragement, I feel even more encouraged to stay with it. Because if the quality and content is good, people will come. No need to rush it.
Right?
Lastly Lastly:
I try not to force the post. This is a platform for people to post about things they are interested in, if we try to force it for the sake of just putting something out there, you sacrifice quality.
“People forget how fast you did a job – but they remember how well you did it”
― Howard Newton
So give yourself a break, let the material come to you and continue posting. It all pays off in the end, whether that be in having a creative outlet or gaining a bigger following.
Archan Nair
Besides, what do you have to lose?
“A year from now you may wish you had started today.”
― Karen Lamb