I knew it had been a while since I last blogged but I was shocked when I realised it was 5 months ago. I had been doing so well at balancing regular blog posts with looking after my son and studying for my social media course but then somehow I fell off the wagon (not for the first time). I’m not sure what happened. I got sucked into social media, via Digital Mums, I kind of ran out of ideas for things to write about here and raising a hyperactive toddler became distinctly more tricky than looking after the sleepy, immobile baby I had grown to know!
That said, my son is just starting nursery so I will finally have a little time to myself to try and get my head around carving out a new career path and getting to the nitty gritty of what I want to achieve with my life and own brand.
Except that, did I mention I’m also pregnant again…? (Nothing like complicating my life further hey?!)
So I’m at another big moment of questioning where I’m going and what I’m doing and I felt I should address this publicly to explain my absolute radio silence these past few months. I’m sure it’s a normal part of motherhood, to start questioning your identity and direction and capabilities, isn’t it?
I’m on the edge of something exciting I’m sure; I’ll soon have the social media skills under my belt to branch out on my own and set up a little business I hope. I also have a brand name and logo ready for my leather goods but I’m still missing some vital pieces of the jigsaw like deciding on a range of products and crucially who I’m aiming them at.
I wonder if at some point in the future I’ll look back at this frustrating moment and wonder why I couldn’t just connect the dots, move forward and make things happen. I feel like an author suffering from writer’s block or an artist who’s doubting their creativity….
What’s the solution?
I think there are 3 things which are going to help me out of this rut:
- If I want to work on ‘me,’ I need some dedicated time for myself. Luckily this is what I hope to gain from taking my son to nursery so this will come soon enough.
- If I want to make leather goods, I need to just get on and make them! I suspect once I’ve had time to experiment and play around with different techniques my range will almost come together by itself. This is also linked to childcare as above!
- In order to keep my blog alive, I must start regularly planning the content which means setting aside a little time each week to plan, write, publish and then promote via social media.
If like me you know you want to create your own brand or business but you’re struggling to pull all your ideas together, try these resources to see if they help clarify things…
- Inspirational podcasts – listening to the stories of other successful entrepreneurs can be so motivating. I wrote a blog post about a few podcasts I listen to which you can find here
- Get hands on! Try out your designs, play around with that text, experiment in your passions to help you get to the real parts that work, that you enjoy and that motivate you to continue. I haven’t been able to do much of this lately but I’m confident this will change once I get some hours back through childcare. Not everything will be your best work but try to keep showing up and doing it again anyway! Picking up this blog after so long is super hard, but if I don’t put myself out there again, 5 months will become 6, 6 months will turn to 7 and the next thing I know, I’ll have wasted a whole year when I could have been writing, reflecting, clarifying my ideas and maybe even helping others in the same boat…
- Find some support. What I have found via all this dabbling on social media is that there is practically a group, community or tribe for everyone and every issue. Even if on a day-to-day, real life basis you feel like no-one ‘gets you,’ you can be sure there’ll be an online community ready and waiting to welcome you with open arms or inspire you with stories and encouragement. There’s a few Facebook groups I’m engaging with such as:
Empowering Women with Work That Works
The Motherload® Community & Website www.the-motherload.co.uk
and here are a few Instagram profiles I have found useful and motivational, especially as a mother looking to start my own business:
Is there anyone else out there who feels as though they’ve got half the jigsaw figured out but has still to find the last little pieces? If so, how did you overcome this and finally make a start? Have you found a good support network? Please leave a comment below, I’d love to know. Surely I can’t be alone?!
Wishing you a successful week in all that you’re juggling,
Zoe x