It has been a while. I must say that I have truly missed writing blog posts!! I know it has only been 5 of them, but that’s not the point…lol. There is so much more I have been wanting to share!

So…why did I stop?

1) It took me longer than expected to adapt to being in a new city.

I was shocked to see how challenging it would be to live in Baltimore. I realized really quickly how different it was from the south, the only place I knew before coming here. I was not happy with being in this new city and often traveled to other places during the weekends.

2) I honestly did not have a lot of time to commit to my blog.

I was busy trying to get to know the city and its people (when I was in town), and felt that it could have been better if I had more time to dedicate to it.

3) A close friend of mine shared some feedback with me about one of my blog posts and although, she did not mean for her feedback to discourage me from writing. (After all she loved my blog and all of my other post.)

I took this feedback very personal. I began to question everything and doubt started to creep in. I began to think, “Was anything I wrote good enough?”

It has been over two years since I have written anything. (Well I did draft a couple of posts, but I feared criticism and it not measuring up so never hit publish.)

What have I learned?

1) Moving to a new city and not knowing anyone in not easy. I’ve done it twice before, but this third time was definitely the hardest. After talking to others about my challenge with this, I quickly realized that I was not alone in this struggle. A couple friends challenged me to not focus so much on the future that I missed enjoying the present! Enjoy your life just where you are. Be grateful and thankful for even the smallest of things.

2) I love volunteering! For over a year and a half, I was volunteering in an area that I was not super passionate about and found that this was one of the reasons I felt unfulfilled in my new city. I have learned that I need to follow my passion. Do more of what you love and less of what you don’t! We all have unique gifts and talents, and if we do something we were not created to do, we rob ourselves and others of our true gifts being manifested.

3) Don’t get offended so easily. After talking with my friend about her feedback and how it made me feel, she was shocked that it had a negative impact on me. She was coming from a place of love, but I interpreted it as an attack. When someone critiques your work (especially someone who cares about you), don’t be so quick to shrink back and doubt yourself or your craft. Talk with them to get a better idea of where they are coming from. You may decide to take their feedback if you find that it enhances your work, or you may leave it if does not quite fit with what you were going for.

4) Focus on the good! I received a lot of good feedback on my blog, but all it took was one person’s critique of one post for me to stop. More recently, I have stepped back to think about all of the people who inspire me and it hit me! What if all these people gave up when they received criticism? Oh, how my life would be so different without their contributions. I am so grateful that they did not give up! Think of all of the lives YOU can change, if you decide to focus on the positive.

5) No matter what you do, how nice of a person you are, how much money you have, how successful you are, there will still be people who do not like you. When I heard this, it gave me so much peace. I felt like a huge weight had been lifted. If I was perfect (which I am very far from) there would still be a percentage of people who did not like me. So why not be my whole self? The person God created me to be. You should be your whole self too! YOU are unique and have so much to contribute to the world! 

So, I am officially back and will be posting at least once per month and hope to increase the frequency as time goes on. I am deciding to take it one step at a time. I love writing and sharing these posts and am so excited to be back at it!!

As I close this post and transition into our challenge, I want to take a moment to remind you of a few things.

1. Embrace where you are now! Enjoy the journey!
2. Your time is precious, so do what you love and are passionate about!
3. When you receive critical feedback, try to gain an understanding of where the person is coming from.
4. Focus on the positive. Don’t let anything hold you back!
5. Be yourself, it makes all the difference. You are enough and have all it takes!

CHALLENGE

Take some time to reflect of one or more of the statements below.

Is criticism or the fear of criticism holding you back from doing what you love? Who are some people who have inspired you? What would your life be like if they gave up? Is there something you are not passionate about that is taking up your free time? Can you eliminate this and replace it with something you do enjoy? Are you not enjoying the moment or the journey, because you are focusing too much on future? Take some time to write down at least one thing you are grateful. Try to take time to enjoy where you are now.

Thanks so much for reading this post! Please feel free to share your comments, questions and/or suggestions below