I’m not going to lie – I am embarrassed to even put this out here. I’m not kidding, either. Through some twisted series of events, this little ole rinky-dink blog of mine was selected as one of Verywell’s “18 Top Mom Blogs That Keep It Real About Motherhood”. Like, how?
If you click on the list, you will see some INCREDIBLE women. I’m talking crazy I N C R E D I B L E. Many of the bloggers on the list are moms that I’ve followed for years, only wishing I could be half as cool, smart, witty, and popular as them AND write half as good. I’m still convinced they accidentally stuck me on the list. Or I got the pity vote somehow. HAHA.
Anyway, this brings up such a good point, that I am making to remind MYSELF. It is SO easy to get lost in internet land nowadays. Back when I started blogging 7 years ago, it was still fresh and new. ‘Bloggers’ were just becoming a thing, and social media wasn’t cray cray like it is today. Now, the net can feel SO saturated with bloggers blogging about everything – motherhood, party planning, style, cooking, beauty, stamp collecting – you name it. It’s everywhere. And if you aren’t careful – and especially if you are just starting out in this gig – you can feel pretty insignificant, unimportant, and down right not cool enough to do it. I get it. I REALLY get it, as I’ve had SO many of these same feelings myself, especially as I’ve tried to grow my reach.
I have such a love/hate relationship with blogging and social media. When you use it the right way, soooo many good things can come about. For me personally, it’s been a way to meet some pretty incredible friends, gain inspiration and encouragement, learn, share my faith, and feel slightly more normal about many things I think about and do. On the flip side, when you use it the wrong way -AKA- compare yourself to all of the things you are not, it makes you feel pretty crappy.
But here’s the thing I’m learning. Someone out there cares. You are making an impact in someone’s life. You may not have massive followers, or huge email lists. And you may not be making a dime off of the work you put it, but it MATTERS. To someone.
A few months ago, my son was seriously ill. And while we were in the hospital, I did the only thing I know to do when I’m anxious – I wrote. I wrote about our situation and my faith (and lack thereof), and shared some of our journey and I was blown away by the random responses I got. And still continue to get. One lady messaged me and she told me she decided to renew her relationship with Christ after following our journey. Make no mistake, it’s not about me. It’s about using what you have with what you’ve got.
The point is, someone is reading and you are impacting more people than you likely know. So keep writing and sharing things that inspire or encourage you. Keep doing you and focusing on what you offer and bring to the table. When you start looking at all of the things you are not, you forget that, at the root, we are all a beautiful mess. And there is someone out there that appreciates you for your mess 🙂
