{My Kind of Lovely Dress & Bag}
To be honest 2019 has been crazy. It’s been busy but in the best way possible. At the beginning of the year I realized I had become very comfortable. Comfortable is great, but it doesn’t allow for ANY growth. (Remember my Do it Scared post earlier this year?) Nothing changes when you just live your life day in and day out, comfortable. And for someone who loves comfort that’s a hard thing to realize.
“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone”
What Taking a Break from Blogging Taught Me
Blogging was something that was comfortable to me. In more ways than one, honestly.
First of all, I was comfortable with what I was sharing. I was comfortable shooting my outfit shots, I was comfortable just sharing “easy” things. But honestly, it was boring. I was bored, ya’ll were bored and I think we both deserve more. I’m not certain what I DO want as far as my content goes, but I do know I want to get a little more uncomfortable with the things I’m sharing. I want to share more meaningful things, more unique photos, more behind the scenes, more helpful things and less surface level things. And a whole lot less of what I “feel like I need to share.” I want this space to be a helpful resource. A place of inspiration and a read you look forward to weekly. I want to feel like your internet bestie that you can chat with, not some chick who loves her outfits and putting cute pics of herself on the internet.
Secondly, this one was a tough realization. I’m really good at distracting myself with “busy work.” I love blogging. It’s something I spend time dreaming up content for, it’s something that truly brings me joy. I love coming home in the evenings and pulling out my computer and working on the blog. But I realized I was doing a lot of busy work, instead of doing the most important work every night. This summer I realized I was using every second of my free time working on the blog. I was shooting instead of spending time with friends or Jared. Not only was I busy, but I was too busy to face the facts that the things I was “working on” weren’t working for me. I was spending so much time working on the blog but the work never ended and I was still failing at my schedule.
But- I was working so hard! Yet, I was also being very hard on myself for not being the blogger that posts 3 times a week. It seemed like I was “working on the blog” all the time, yet I couldn’t get my posts up?! Every night I would pull my computer out and my phone out and work. But over this past month I’ve realized it’s not me, it’s not that I don’t try, it’s not that I just don’t have time to be that person. It’s just that my work ethic doesn’t allow it.
By getting out of my own comfort zone, and getting out of my own head, I’ve realized a lot things about work ethic.
I waste a lot of time. I spend time scrolling instagram, taking down notes, having 10 tabs open and procrastinating instead of making things happen. I’ll spend time on my computer, but not necessarily all of that time is getting the work done. So by taking a month off, and taking time to work on myself, to take a look at my habits, I’ve realized a lot of things about the person I am and the person I want to be.
And woahhh is that hard to share here!! I honestly can’t believe I’m putting it all out here like this. But I’m committed to being uncomfortable. This month my number one focus is to be uncomfortable. Do one thing per day that makes me uncomfortable. I’m committed to growing as much as I possibly can in 2019.
So there you have it. Taking a month off from blogging helped me see some things clearly. It allowed me to spend that time diving into another area of my business and has allowed me to open up for new growth. If you feel stuck, or spread thin or like you need a break. Try it. Take a break from something that allows you to take a break and allow yourself the extra time to work on something meaningful. Work on you, try something new you’ve been too scared to try, get uncomfortable and see where it takes you. We’re not all on the same journey but I’d love to encourage you to take bits of my story and make it yours.
**Full disclaimer – I did not take a month off from working. Just from blogging. I still had a very jam packed schedule and worked more hours than I have in months! So don’t think, “oh I can’t take a month off, this doesn’t apply to me!” I still was very busy, just spent some intentional time doing some personal development in the place of spending my time blogging.**