Random Thoughts - My Personal Blogger Pledge

A month ago, I started a new chapter to my life and dove head first into a flooded ocean of bloggers where some sail luxuriously in yachts drinking champagne and others, like me, hang on to dear life by driftwood barely keeping our heads above the waves (don’t worry, it will be my only metaphor!). It is human nature to equate oneself to those who are doing the same thing and try to measure up, but over the last couple of weeks it began to consume me knowing that there is no way that I can compete with girls that are 15-20 years younger than me. I had to remind myself that my overall goal for blogging was not to become famous, but to share my life interests in a digital diary, to occupy the time once filled with an actual paying job, but mostly to stir up my creative side to a new level.

Being artistic does not come naturally to me and I am awe inspired everyday by how original and imaginative people are when sharing their perspective of the world. When I continually match myself to the myriad of bloggers out there I am intimidated and overwhelmed. Finding my own expression is stifled and I lose my true identity by struggling to achieve something that others have already mastered. I realize now that this fixation is smothering my vision and keeping me from truly doing what I set out to do in the first place and I am longing for something more… All Fred up, in its infant stage, needs a face lift!

I have discovered that what lies deep in me is the desire to produce new content in unexpected ways. So as I continue my blogging journey, I want to make a pledge to myself and to YOU, my current audience, who consists of a small group of family and friends. You have shown interest in what I am doing and I am so grateful for you everyday. This pledge will help me set goals for the coming months and years of blogging and I am encouraged that it will set me on a new path of self-fulfillment and maybe even self-discovery. I will read my pledge often to retain my sanity and remind me to stay focused by keeping me on the right track. Change will not be instant or drastic and will depend on resources that I am able to acquire and how quickly I can conquer the learning curve that lies ahead. So please do not expect overnight greatness.

My Personal Blogger Pledge:

~ I will strive to generate inventive work through creative avenues.

~ I cannot guarantee that others will like what I think is beautiful, but I will find fulfillment in sharing and take criticism as a means to learn and grow.

~ I will show beauty in surprising ways with the end goal being to inspire, create discussion or stir up emotions.

~ I am not an expert, by any means, on what I include on my blog and I will never pretend to be. My posts are only my own opinions, thoughts, and feelings.

~ I will never be pretentious or snooty.

~ I will never take myself too seriously. Finding humor in everyday life situations is a necessity and being goofy and silly is ingrained in my soul.

~ I will do my own thing. It is important to be true to myself. When I develop a new concept, I will act on my creative ideas and not spend time worrying about if somebody else has already done it (who knows, maybe I will do it better!).

~ I am blogging for personal fulfillment and discovery in a mindfulness manner. If others want to partake in this journey with me I will be ecstatic, but I will not measure my success on how many people follow, like, repost, regram, or retweet me!

~ Reference to the above: I give myself permission to do a happy dance if I get one hundred likes… 100! It is validation that what I have created people have enjoyed. Celebrate it.