Going Down the Chute: Facing Your Fears

“You can’t be that kid standing at the top of the waterslide, overthinking it. You have to go down the chute.”

I love this quote from Bossypants, a book written by Tina Fey. Truth be told, I’ve never read the book, I thought it was a movie!  But now after this revelation, the book’s been downloaded to my Libby app and it’s on my current reading list. This quote, this one, speaks to my heart.

I clipped it out of a magazine (remember those?)  and I’ve kept it in various places throughout the years. It’s been pinned to my mirror, stapled in my bullet journal and even placed in a cute picture frame that I had near my computer.

It has stayed with me, both literally and figuratively for many years, because I have a very teeny character flaw…” Hi, my name is Lisa and I’m a scaredy-cat”.  And while I’ve never been afraid of waterslides, I do recall as a young girl, my fear of jumping off the high diving board at the local pool.  Pretty much, it’s the same thing, right? That intense fear of being at the top, looking down, and being terrified to go for it.  That’s what starting this blog is for me…terrifying! Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit, but I will say it is a bit scary.

But back in those pool days in small-town Nebraska, I remember not only jumping off the high dive, but DIVING headfirst. It was fun, exhilarating and quickly became “old hat”. I imagine my blogging will someday feel like that.  But in the meantime, I’ve been tepid, wary, and just plain scared of putting myself out there in the blogosphere.

• What if no one reads my blog? (So what?)
• What if people hate it? (What if they don’t?)
• What if my writing sucks and people talk about me? (Really, Lisa, you’re not that big a deal.)
• What if I have nothing to say? (That’s hilarious, anyone who knows you knows you ALWAYS have something to say.)
• What if I’m not as good as all those other bloggers out there? (Comparison is a thief, there is no other you.)
• What if my pictures stink? (With time, practice and a darn good app, they will improve!)

As my inner dialogue gets silenced by my logical self, I am excited to share my ideas and tips! I hope to inspire you with my love of thrifting, my sense of style, my decorating ideas, my travel stories, and the small ways I am working to save the earth.

In the past I’ve observed other bloggers, I’ve researched SEO optimization, I’ve taken WordPress classes, I’ve spoken to marketing experts, I’ve taken photos, and yes, I’ve written blog posts. But now, I’ve backed myself into a corner and I have no choice but to REALLY blog.

Why, you ask?  Well, maybe you’re not asking…but on the off chance you are, I’ll tell you.

Two words:  Business cards.

You see, I’ve had my interior decorating and home staging business for over 16 years. And ten years ago, I left a good paying job to open a resale boutique. There you go, proof I’m not a scaredy-cat and I can go down that water chute! But I digress.

Truth is, it’s been a side gig and I’ve not really focused on it much. But I had my logo and business card redesigned (thank you, Sarah at Cyclonepress.com) and my new cards now say I’m a consultant, speaker and blogger. If I put it out to the universe (and on a business card), it must be true.  Plus, I retired from my corporate job, so why not? Nothing is holding me back now, except me.

Like I said, I HAVE blogged in the past, but this time I am not messing around, you hear?! I aspire to be good (whatever that means) and to be taken seriously (by who/whom, I don’t know, but someone). But mostly, I want to help people and have fun in the process. I’ll chat about interior decorating, fashion, travel, books, and whatever comes to mind. I’ll share my musings on repurposing a life, a career, a home, and a wardrobe.

Thank you, Tina Fey, for writing that book and encouraging me to go down the chute! And thanks to new business cards too! See what a new redesign can inspire you to do?