Whenever you start something with good intentions, there will always be one person or one group of people that doubt your ability to succeed.
From my experience this negativity comes from two places: Pride and Envy. Very rarely have I found it come from a heart with good intentions. Of course, some criticism is good and is often needed for growth, but I’m not speaking about that type of negativity.
This week I was reminded about what I went through to finish my apprenticeship. The memories are as clear as day, even though the years have trickled by. Interestingly some of the challenges that female plumbers are facing right now, I’ve experienced handling them, and can offer wisdom on how to steer through these obstacles. I look forward to sharing those blog posts in the New Year.
But I digress, my biggest concern about doubters is they plant a seed of negativity and that seed can grow if we feed it with our own negative thoughts. And yes, it’s true, most of us who do try something new, battle with our minds on whether we have what it takes to pursue our dream. The only way for a seed to not take root is not to feed it and that’s where the battle of the mind takes place – learning to repel doubt to keep the flame alive. No one tells you the mind battles you go through to get where you want to be. Often one negative comment or action can be the breath that blows out a person’s drive to achieve their dream.
But you can’t let it. Whatever that dream is, whether you want to be a tradie and you’re a female or whether you’re a mum and you want to start a blog. Whatever you have felt led to do, you should do it because the world needs to see people passionately following their dreams.
The world is a different place to what it was 20 years ago and it will be different in another 20 years. If you don’t start now, you can never evolve because how can one evolve if they haven’t started?
Yesterday Mamamia shared this article about ‘mummy blogging’ being dead and how they are going to change the way they deliver content. Good on them. I hope it works out for them. I will never pull down another blogger or media group who decides to steer in a different direction.
But when steering in a new direction, don’t dampen the dreams of others. Mrs Woog shared the post with a comment she would have to find a new job and there were a number of comments from her community that said they were stuffed before they began. I think you’re stuffed if you don’t start.
I believe there is space for more mummy bloggers. And here is why.
There will be new mums next year and the year after and the year after that and many more years after that. There will be new challenges and changes that new mums will need to navigate. We need mummy bloggers to share how they navigate those changes in the present and future, for new mums who are going through them themselves.
We need mums to share the sweet spots in parenting and the not so great. Your story in your present time is needed for those who are going through the same issue. Your future stories are needed for future mums.
Of course once you start your blog, you may, like Mamamia, evolve to try new things. You may also choose not to.
The main point is to start and prove the doubters wrong. But you can’t prove your doubters wrong if you never start and if you don’t put one foot in front of the other.
For me, I turned the negativity (about being a female plumber) into a fire in my spirit to prove the doubters wrong so that they would be left eating their words.
And now, many of them are reading mine.
So please, don’t shrink back because of what someone has said or what someone is going to do differently. Just start and persevere and you will find your way.
What do you think about mummy bloggers? Do we need more or less? Is blogging dead?
