Last year I felt a push to do hard things and to be wilder. This is not something that I’ve abandoned or even remotely conquered. In fact, it’s been even more solidified lately. Along with a few new phrases for this year…
You might have noticed I only posted ONE TIME last week. And I only posted once on Impress Your Kids, too. It’s not because I was disinterested. No, in fact, all I’ve been thinking about this post-Blissdom week is my blogs. But the broken record of my do-hard-things-be-wilder refrain was extended when I heard Scott Stratten speak at Blissdom. He said:
People don’t share “meh”. People share AWESOME.
I want to share Awesome on my blog and I want you to share it with others. Like MY Awesome. I want what I write here to be Awesome. I want it to be share-able. {I was already feeling this in November when I stopped posting 6 days a week.}
The funny balance here is that when my blog first started it was a creative outlet, then it morphed into a conversation with my readers and the blogging community at large. Somewhere along the lines, it’s changed (Twitter and Facebook are slightly responsible but also just the age of my blog) and now I feel like I have a responsibility to SHARE. It’s not my daily journal anymore. And if I chose to “meh” my blog, then all I’ll get out of my online relationships is “meh”.
Is this making sense?
Now, here’s where it gets cool. (And slightly less bloggy.)
I’m reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. (Who isn’t?) And I’ll admit, it takes some focused energy to read her. So, the first three chapters I loved and cried. But the fourth chapter—I got that gnawing thing in my stomach that said, “THIS IS YOU.” The whole chapter is about busyness and hurrying. Rather, how we like to focus on the busyness and the hurriedness instead of giving THANKS for the small, the seemingly insignificant and the hidden lovely.
She quotes Elisabeth Elliot and says,
Wherever you are, be all there.
Wherever you are–doing the dishes, playing with the kids, reading a bedtime story, writing a blog post or volunteering at church. Be all there–don’t think about all those things at once. Play with the kids while you are playing with the kids. Read a bedtime story while you are reading a bedtime story. Write a blog post while you are writing a blog post. Serve while you are serving. Don’t mix them. Don’t multi-task so much that you forget about what you’re doing.
Oh, I come at this from every angle and fall up short. How many times have I written a blog post in between flipping pancakes? (A lot.) How many times have I made a to-do list while playing games with the kids? (Tons.) How many times have I watched television with my husband while writing a blog post and pretending to listen to him? (Ouch.)
So here I am thinking about how I want my blog marriage kids life to be Awesome. And I realize why I can’t bring it. Because I’m not all there. I’m trying to do it all and be it all. I’m trying to “get it all done” and looking around my messy house (both online and off) and realizing I’m not doing any of it!
This doesn’t mean that I’ll be doing less than I’m already doing. Or eliminating anything in my life. It just means that I’ll be here when I’m here. And when I’m not here? It’s because I’m bringing the Awesome somewhere else.
When I write a post, I’m going to be all there and bring the Awesome.
When I play with the kids, I’m going to be all there and bring the Awesome.
When I clean the house, I’m going to be all there and bring the Awesome.
When I spend time with my husband, I’m going to be all there and bring the Awesome.
Wherever you are, be all there. Bring the Awesome.
