I understand where you are. I”m kind of in a rut myself. I”m just not passionate enough about anything I’m reading — and I subscribe to 130 feeds — to blog about them. I just feel like I don’t have anything new to add. And I don’t want to just go through the motions. So hopefully seeing where you go will encourage me to figure out where I need to head.
I’ve been there myself, and I think one of the best things about making it through that dip is the empowerment you have when you get to the other side. Letting go of the guilt and embracing your voice, and your ideas is incredible. I wouldn’t consider myself completely out of that phase, but it’s about progress and working through the confusing times. That’s why blogging is such a powerful professional development concept to me. In and of itself, blogging has taught me about perserverence, about exploration, about creativity, about self-motivation, and also about community, about accountability. As much as the topics I write about, the actual process of blogging has helped me grow both as a writer and as a professional. So I love to hear stories about other Gen Ys learning the same lessons. Glad you’re sharing your journey along the way!
Monica – I love this post because I can relate with what you’re going through, but mostly, because underneath what I am hearing is that you’ve changed, grown. I think that is probably the most important thing as a writer and as an individual. Now, the question is how does your writing, and your blog, grow with you?
I have every confidence that you’ll hit that stride again because you’re not really starting completely over, per se, but rather, perhaps, running parallel.
Monica: I find it intriguing to read blogs, at the same time I have to be reading the work of a thought leader or expert on a given subject in order to have more ideas and the abiity to make better sense out of my life–and to blog regularly myself. Blog reading provides me with insight into how people are thinking, their values, their goals, the quality of their relationships, but it does not provide me with the kind of thoughtful stimulation that will make it possible to advance my career, my life and my colleagues.
I make and keep commitments to myself about new subjects I need to dig into every year. For example, the last few years I’ve spent leisure time reading the better authors on the American revolution. The issues that surfaced in that time period are distinctly and surprisingly similar to the issues that are surfacing in today’s world. A few years ago, I wanted to gain some literacy in Shakespeare. Most people are unaware that to a high degree Shakespeare provides the magic code to understand the English language, its values, contradictions and cultural understandings. Easily, one of the most fascinating and hilarious feminist statements is Shakespeare’s comedy, Much Ado About Nothing. And then on another occasion, after viewing a fascinating exhibition on Monet at the Chicago Art Institute. I have an extensive background on the Renaissance painters, but little knowledge of 20th century French. I found myself digging deeper into the Impressionist painters trying to find out why and how they so revolutionized not only painting but our understanding of culture.
Obviously, no one begins his/her life by digging into such issues, but taking on a minor subject for six months to a year certainly gives me not only a lot to blog about, but also the necessary insights to successfully manage clients and succeed in my business.
I don’t write about these subjects in blogs, but the insights these subjects give me make for significant blog conversation on a regular basis. Why do people make career changes, what do we know about human relations, why can some groups be very provactive while others are boring? My reading often goes to such questions.
It’s Ferrazzi–Never Eat Alone (the superb book on networking–that stresses the need for us to be interesting–and makes the same kind of suggestions for us to get there.
Thanks for writing about this. I am finding myself in the same rut: wanting to write but not being inspired. I’ll be interested to see how you manage and maybe provide a little inspiration for me along the way. Good luck!
Thank you for the inspiration to get “back in the saddle again”. I wish you the best of luck and it looks like you’re off to a good start. I would love to continue to hear how you look for inspiration for your writing. And it looks like a lot of other people could benefit from that too.
I hear ya when you say it’s hard to find inspiration for your writing. What I’ve noticed is the more I read, the more I write, and the more I write, the more I write. When I say I wrote a ton of crap to get back in the game, I mean it. I think that period of frustration with my poor writing has served a purpose, however, because I’ve noticed my ideas and writing has been improving this month.
I would love to see your blog make a comeback too! I’ll be watching out for you in my Google reader…
Man, it’s been tough so far. But sometimes you have to take time away from writing, so maybe you’re already on track. Two summers ago I trained for a marathon and had no time to do anything else aside from work and sleep. During my runs I got all my blog ideas though. Good luck!
That’s amazing to me. Kudos to you for finding time to learn about so many different subjects. I agree that reading thought leaders is helpful for inspiration, but I try to be careful not to write posts that just repeat what thought leaders have already said. One exercise I do to get inspiration is to take seemingly unrelated ideas and put them together to generate a new idea. It certainly doesn’t work for every case, but sometimes the connections I make surprise me. Thanks for the comment!
I think you’re right about growing. Trying to figure out how to make my blog grow with me is a struggle. Your concept of running in parallel is an interesting one, and I hope your right!
I will definitely have to chalk this one up to another learning experience. I’m looking forward to the end of the tunnel though, like you said. Let me know if you have any tips for writing through the dip
Monica O'Brien is the Director of Digital at Fizz and author of the book Social Pollination, which helps businesses leverage social media for crazy growth!
Monica O'Brien is the Director of Digital at Fizz and author of the book Social Pollination, which helps businesses leverage social media for crazy growth!
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Glad you’re back and that you’re finding inspiration to write again
I understand where you are. I”m kind of in a rut myself. I”m just not passionate enough about anything I’m reading — and I subscribe to 130 feeds — to blog about them. I just feel like I don’t have anything new to add. And I don’t want to just go through the motions. So hopefully seeing where you go will encourage me to figure out where I need to head.
I’ve been there myself, and I think one of the best things about making it through that dip is the empowerment you have when you get to the other side. Letting go of the guilt and embracing your voice, and your ideas is incredible. I wouldn’t consider myself completely out of that phase, but it’s about progress and working through the confusing times. That’s why blogging is such a powerful professional development concept to me. In and of itself, blogging has taught me about perserverence, about exploration, about creativity, about self-motivation, and also about community, about accountability. As much as the topics I write about, the actual process of blogging has helped me grow both as a writer and as a professional. So I love to hear stories about other Gen Ys learning the same lessons. Glad you’re sharing your journey along the way!
Monica – I love this post because I can relate with what you’re going through, but mostly, because underneath what I am hearing is that you’ve changed, grown. I think that is probably the most important thing as a writer and as an individual. Now, the question is how does your writing, and your blog, grow with you?
I have every confidence that you’ll hit that stride again because you’re not really starting completely over, per se, but rather, perhaps, running parallel.
Here’s wishing you lots of luck and inspiration.
Monica: I find it intriguing to read blogs, at the same time I have to be reading the work of a thought leader or expert on a given subject in order to have more ideas and the abiity to make better sense out of my life–and to blog regularly myself. Blog reading provides me with insight into how people are thinking, their values, their goals, the quality of their relationships, but it does not provide me with the kind of thoughtful stimulation that will make it possible to advance my career, my life and my colleagues.
I make and keep commitments to myself about new subjects I need to dig into every year. For example, the last few years I’ve spent leisure time reading the better authors on the American revolution. The issues that surfaced in that time period are distinctly and surprisingly similar to the issues that are surfacing in today’s world. A few years ago, I wanted to gain some literacy in Shakespeare. Most people are unaware that to a high degree Shakespeare provides the magic code to understand the English language, its values, contradictions and cultural understandings. Easily, one of the most fascinating and hilarious feminist statements is Shakespeare’s comedy, Much Ado About Nothing. And then on another occasion, after viewing a fascinating exhibition on Monet at the Chicago Art Institute. I have an extensive background on the Renaissance painters, but little knowledge of 20th century French. I found myself digging deeper into the Impressionist painters trying to find out why and how they so revolutionized not only painting but our understanding of culture.
Obviously, no one begins his/her life by digging into such issues, but taking on a minor subject for six months to a year certainly gives me not only a lot to blog about, but also the necessary insights to successfully manage clients and succeed in my business.
I don’t write about these subjects in blogs, but the insights these subjects give me make for significant blog conversation on a regular basis. Why do people make career changes, what do we know about human relations, why can some groups be very provactive while others are boring? My reading often goes to such questions.
It’s Ferrazzi–Never Eat Alone (the superb book on networking–that stresses the need for us to be interesting–and makes the same kind of suggestions for us to get there.
Thanks for writing about this. I am finding myself in the same rut: wanting to write but not being inspired. I’ll be interested to see how you manage and maybe provide a little inspiration for me along the way. Good luck!
Thank you for the inspiration to get “back in the saddle again”. I wish you the best of luck and it looks like you’re off to a good start. I would love to continue to hear how you look for inspiration for your writing. And it looks like a lot of other people could benefit from that too.
I’m excited that you are writing again. I followed your blog a bit last year, and just found it again today. I hope to enjoy more of your posts!
Hi Katelyn,
I hear ya when you say it’s hard to find inspiration for your writing. What I’ve noticed is the more I read, the more I write, and the more I write, the more I write. When I say I wrote a ton of crap to get back in the game, I mean it. I think that period of frustration with my poor writing has served a purpose, however, because I’ve noticed my ideas and writing has been improving this month.
I would love to see your blog make a comeback too! I’ll be watching out for you in my Google reader…
Man, it’s been tough so far. But sometimes you have to take time away from writing, so maybe you’re already on track. Two summers ago I trained for a marathon and had no time to do anything else aside from work and sleep. During my runs I got all my blog ideas though. Good luck!
That’s amazing to me. Kudos to you for finding time to learn about so many different subjects. I agree that reading thought leaders is helpful for inspiration, but I try to be careful not to write posts that just repeat what thought leaders have already said. One exercise I do to get inspiration is to take seemingly unrelated ideas and put them together to generate a new idea. It certainly doesn’t work for every case, but sometimes the connections I make surprise me. Thanks for the comment!
Susan,
I think you’re right about growing. Trying to figure out how to make my blog grow with me is a struggle. Your concept of running in parallel is an interesting one, and I hope your right!
Tiffany,
I will definitely have to chalk this one up to another learning experience. I’m looking forward to the end of the tunnel though, like you said. Let me know if you have any tips for writing through the dip
Liz,
Thank you! It’s always nice to hear that people are enjoying content you produce.
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