You know how some people can pick up a hobby for a couple of days and already be considered experts? Like they can tell you all about the history and have a wide range of obscure facts to share. They can help you improve your technique or give you useful hints. Then there are others who can do the same hobby for over a year and still get confused by the basics. I’m just throwing this out there….no reason….
Life is essentially one long beautiful learning experience. Some lucky few soak up all that knowledge and become better for it. The most fun though never learn! The trick is to know when to do which. Although my time in the blogging world may not have taught me much about SEO or… spelling…I still managed to pick up a few lessons that serve me well on a daily basis. Let me share 5 of my favorites.
In order in which they came to my mind:
5. Be pretty for yourself
A pretty blog or post is a great thing to have. However fretting over your layout everytime is very demanding and time consuming. And no one is ever really going to care. Most readers see your posts in apps that get rid of most of that layout anyways.
And it’s the same in real life. Those fake eyelashes you take (20 minutes ? 3 hours? I have no clue but it looks complicated) to apply are nice but I also might not have noticed them. But if you notice them and they make you feel gorgeous then it’s well worth. I am going to notice your confidence and good mood and love it.
So put all the time and effort you want in your appearance just make sure you’re doing it for yourself. Otherwise it’s pretty useless.
4. Plan ahead
If you’re going to post consistently you’ll need to figure out what you want to write about ahead of time. Make sure not to let those ideas slip away either. Write down post subjects or points as they come too you even if you can only draft the post at a later date. Or at least make sure you watch the show you want to post on.
And do that for anything you want to accomplish! Make a rough outline in your head of what the end result should be and how you want to get there. It will keep you on track. It doesn’t have to be super detailed or anything.
3. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar
Reading comments is a special experience. It’s tiny slivers of conversations that start in the middle. Sometimes they have nothing to do with the post. Sometimes they seem super aggressive or defensive (or both). Often I have no idea why. I’ve learned that the best way to navigate this disjointed conversation is to stop trying to read between the lines or infer context and take things at face value.
And I should do that more in general. The sarcastic slightly snide teenager I was still hides somewhere deep in me. I find myself trying to figure out what someone ment by that instead of just listening to them. It’s a really nasty habit. I am slowly getting over it though. Wish me luck!
2. Trying matters
Writing posts is Hazzard you guys!!! I meant hard… well haaaaaard… Silly autocorrect, somewhat proving my point like that… Aside from the simple fact that writing is a skill not innate to all, regular posting has all sorts of challenges. And even if you’re above the petty concerns of mere mortals, there’s something deeply demoralizing about putting time, effort and energy into a post and having it fail to live up to your subjective standards of success. With time, I’ve started to get a general idea of which posts are likely to get the most attention and which will be ignored. And sometimes, a post just won’t come together like I want it to. I can tell it’s sloppy and disjointed but I just can’t seem to fix it.
However, once in a while those little battered posts that barely made it and I think no one will read, get really popular. They spark something. Or at least they get a couple of really encouraging and heartfelt comments that make it all worthwhile.
This is when I’m reminded that people still appreciate effort. Even if the post isn’t perfect (or objectively good) if I had something to say and honestly tried to do so, people will respond to that. People are willing to give you a chance if you give it your all. Isn’t that amazing! Of course we all want to succeed at everything we do, but even when we fail, trying in earnest is usually rewarding in its own way.
1. Edit
I really should learn how to edit my posts. I think this one is a good example…. And editing is just a skill that can and needs to be applied to everything. You know that old fashion saying, before you leave the house take a look in the mirror and remove one accessory (this person obviously does not watch anime) that’s a real life edit.
I have started to take the time to revisit, tweak an change things to try and make them better. I play with the spices more when cooking. I change up my workout routines. I adapt my sleep schedule. I *try* to take a breath before speaking and chose my words to actually and clearly get my point across instead of just blurting out the first thing that comes to mind in a mix of 4 different languages. it’s a work in progress.
The point is, if you think something could be better, why not try to make it better! It’s fun.
How about all of you who also have blos. Have you picked up anything you can use in your daily life? what is it? Can I know?
