Love Your Work and You’ll Find Pleasure in Mastering It

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So this is how the story goes…

I went to this conference last month- well, I prefer to call it blogging professional development. Hey, why not?  I paid for it. I learned. I acquired some new skills. I was developed- professionally. (Yes, my family thinks I’m a little off my rocker. I beg to differ.)

Imagine a room of 100+ women. Blogging women to be exact. (Me in the corner sucking my thumb.) It was our chance to connect and network and of course learn. Topics like understanding SEO, blogging your truth, maintaining your privacy, and a tool kit to keep close to you were the topics that met our crack-like-blogging-needs. We were totally like kids in a candy store.

While professionally developing at this conference I met some of the real, living, breathing people behind some of the blogs I follow. The author of Ramblings of a Closet Writer was one of them.

Fast forward a few weeks and I am back to life as normal- always on time to the carpool line, joyfully embracing hours of never ending 6th grade homework, never getting kicked out of the public library because my 19 month old is too loud, a spotless clean house with perfectly folded and put away laundry. (Have you seen my header? You know I am lying.) Christina reached out to me and asked if  I would like to be involved in a project where a group of us share basic tips and advice for newbie bloggers. The topic she wanted me to write about- loving your work to find pleasure in mastering it. (Crap, did I really post this quote on my Facebook page?)

My chin hit the floor, cause honey in human years I am still a newbie myself. In blogging years, every six months gives you tenure. And every six months you add a jewel to your maven crown. Let’s face it, this blogging stuff can be pretty cut throat. People start new blogs every day and within a few months they’ve lost their desire or drive or just did not find their voice or their audience. It can totally turn Donald Trump on ya- you’re fired!

The real kicker to me was that Christina is calling our group The Blogging Mavens. This absolutely rocks my world because in my real life I am surround by a houseful of boys (five to be exact).  I regularly sit on a toilet seat covered in pee. I run sticks, rocks, bugs and MP3 players through my washer and dryer.  (If you want to keep your stuff you better check your own pockets ’cause I’ll wash it.) For crying out loud, I’ve walked through the grocery store with a child’s booger smeared on my neck, unbeknownst to me of course. And I constantly find myself in a foggy room filled with… what in creation is that smell!? (I swear they are gentlemen.) So to be a maven, even if only virtually, is such a special treat. To finally act like I know what I am doing…

Hold on a second while I fix my crown.

Ok, I’m back.

We all blog for different reasons. We all find our voice at a different speed. We all fall into a niche of some sort. Some do not want to be called mommy bloggers. Others have an eye for writing about fashion or fitness or strictly crafts. Maybe your thing is home renovation, real estate trends or economics?

We can all fake it ’til we make it (a brilliant quote I can not take credit for- thank you Tiffany of SITS), but here is the thing, if we do not love what we’re doing, just like in a nine to five gig, we will never find pleasure in mastering it.

The same is true for blogging.

For me, blogging is my soundboard. It is my place where I share the struggles of the day to day life doing the thing I absolutely love- being a mommy. I share the crazy stories about my kids, the things that work for me and my absolute hate for laundry. (Laundry is something I will never find pleasure in mastering in case you’re wondering.) There are times I can not sleep because there is something I have got to write about, this moment, and I honestly get up at 3:00 a.m. to blog it (as one of my four year olds would say). There are days that I give hours and hours of my life to writing and editing content. And why? Because I know I can be a resource to others. I know someone out there (an absolute stranger probably) can walk away with some sort of connection even if it is simply just knowing they are not alone in the imperfect mommy experience. And I absolutely love that. The being a resource. The sharing honesty. Giving a part of myself to those who stop by and take a minute to read. That mom out there that needed confirmation today that she is not the only one feeling lost on this journey through motherhood who does not recognize that woman starring back at her in the mirror.

Hold on- I gotta regroup. Breathe.

And this my friend is what I love. It comes natural. I feel like I’ve some how made a difference. Not to mention it supports my oldest child birth order needs to be the helping mother hen.

Maybe you are just starting out and you’re trying to find your voice? Are you struggling with content or what to write about? Kelley is your Content Maven. Maybe you have a story but just do not feel like a confident writer because grammar and all that important punctuation stuff gets in the way? Missy is your Word Nerd Maven. Maybe all the social networking and building your community just kinda sends you over the edge? Liz is your Twitter Maven.

You have this voice. You have this passion. But how do you funnel it into a piece of work?

You must love it first. It must be a desire you truly want because if you love what you’re doing, and what you’re doing is blogging,  you will absolutely find pleasure in mastering it.

At your speed.

On your time table.

In your corner of this blogging world sharing your voice.

Dang, forget this maven stuff, I shoulda been a life coach or something.

Now, do you want to take your blog to the next level?  Make sure you check out Holly tomorrow who is the author of June Cleaver Nirvana and is our Rollin’ in the Dough Maven. She’s got your back if you’ve got your passion. 

As a side note,  if you’ve got a minute, you need to check out the story of LaQuishe Wright. If this message about loving your work to find pleasure in mastering it hits home for you, her story totally sums it all up. Her site started as an escape from the pressures of daily life with two little ones, one of  which was diagnosed with a life changing medical condition. She started writing about her new found favorite film star- Channing Tatum. It was her passion… her outlet. A couple of years later her passion has turned into a full time opportunity where she professionally promotes Channing’s movies and projects (as well as his wife’s)! She is totally their sidekick. And it all started as a passion- one that she loved and one that she certainly mastered!