Are you considering starting your passion project? Do you think that you don’t have the time, the resources, the skills or the motivation necessary to manifest your aspirations? Creatives and artists have a general tendency to ponder and wait until things get perfect, until they are completely ready and comfortable, to start investing in their craft.
Yet, most of the time the only thing that urgently needs to be done, first and foremost, is to start. Perfectionism and fear can be the biggest dream killers. What’s more lessons and skills will be learnt and mastered along the journey. Being on purpose does not mean being perfect or popular at what you are naturally called to do. It is a matter of listening to yourself and having the courage to bring out your own personal jewels in the outside world contributing to your own growth as well as your community.
There is a Paulo Coelho’s quote which characterizes the essence of that idea: “To become really good at anything, you have to practice and repeat, practice and repeat, until the technique becomes intuitive”.
In this post, you will get an insight into Cynthia’s journey building her passion project. Cynthia is a Nigerian-Dutch blogger and vlogger, who documents matters related to the 20-something social and personal experience. Here you can step into her world: http://acupofcyntea.com/.
Her narrative is filled with thoughtful considerations and sound advice that will resonate with you, as you are considering taking the step necessary to start your passion project.
Her journey to blogging and her recommendations for those willing to start a blog
I used to give myself talks on my drive to work, I was saying out loud some positive and uplifting stories and words. I know, it sounds a bit unusual to talk to yourself out loud (laughs). Yet, it makes no doubt that in life designed as it is, you must be your own cheerleader. First, you should sincerely believe in your own path, for it is the first step necessary to manifest your goals into your reality. Second, having self-confidence enable you to follow your aspirations without the insecurity of someone else validation. It was a great way to boost my overall mood.
Therefore, I started putting my thoughts on paper and sharing it on a blog for I believed that some people may be going through similar situations and would benefit from my words. Many of us are going through the same things, sharing our personal matters can be a great healing tool for ourselves as well as for others. Blogging is like therapy, it calms me down and makes me feel renewed.
The advice I would give to people who want to start a blog is to figure out what they want to write about and to consider whether the content is impactful, I do not necessarily mean giving advice, but is it entertaining? I feel that whatever you consider writing about, you should wonder if it leaves an impact on your readers. Something as small as leaving a smile on your readers’ faces is an impact.
On staying motivated to develop her brand
I can see my online brand developing well. I have been intentional, focused and set clear goals at the beginning of the year and I am continuously working my way through every point. I have thought in depth about the meaning of what I do, what it truly means to me to have a blog, to carry on that path, why that is so important and what does it adds to my lifestyle.
I have put my goals up on my wall so every time I walk into my room, I am reminded and encouraged to carry on my journey. Visualizing the future, my dreams and my ideals routine have been one of the main tools to build my motivation for it makes no doubt that whatever I am currently doing it is all worth it .
Fear of failure and lack of recognition along your creative path
Fear of failure… there is no need to fear anything if you believe in your craft, why not simply use your energy to imagine all of the things that can go right? Why not visualize greatness? Instead of stressing over the worst case scenario if you are passionate about something.
I think that people should ask themselves this question: ‘Am I happy with my craft without recognition or making a penny out of it?’. In other words, are you working on your craft to be popular and make money out of it or is this a nice outlet that helps your sanity and leaves an impact on people? How passionate are you about your craft?
We all want to get some type of recognition and reward from our craft. Indeed, if you put time in something, you want a response and a reward for it in one way or the other. But if you’re just doing this for the wrong reasons then maybe you have to look at yourself.
I have heard of stories where content creators were begging people to subscribe to their YouTube channel only so they can have a large following and get the benefits from having a large following. It just doesn’t sound right.
Therefore, if you have tried something and feel like you are failing, ask yourself: what am I trying to achieve with this? , why is that important to me?, am I heading toward the right direction for me?
Dealing with relationships and social pressure as a 20-something in her blog
We live in a social media driven world. And I’ve noticed that a lot of people believe everything they see on social media! Social media is a virtual world people can create a fake narrative about anything whether it be living a lavish life to having a picture-perfect relationship.
People only show what they want you to see on social media so you will never see someone posting their struggles on Instagram on purpose. Sometimes the content is inspiring and it’s positive to aspire to have a good relationship. I mean, just like many people I would love to have a wonderful relationship one day. But you shouldn’t let the #relationshipgoals pictures consume you to the point where you feel pressured to be in a relationship not to feel left out. Same with the #livingmybestlife, you should not let someone’s journey make you feel ungrateful and distract you from being elevated in your own path.
There are some extreme scenarios when people jump into marriages just to please their parents or to be able to tell the whole world that they’re married. You should be getting married for yourself and your spouse and not because it will make your family, friends and Instagram followers happy. Never force yourself to be in a relationship. It should feel natural and genuine.
© Visuals by Lolly Comms
Enregistrer