Some links in this article may earn me a commission. This is at no cost to you. As always, thank you from the bottom of my heart!Who wouldn’t want to like yourself more, achieve your goals & live your success ? Right?
Well, just before I founded Improvementals, I could literally have jumped up and down, waving my arms, and yelling, “I want this!”
If you feel the same way (and, I know you do, or you wouldn’t be here) then I think you can benefit, if you read on:
Want to Like Yourself More?
Then, find something to do, which you love doing! People need to feel useful and appreciated as part of feeling whole. We need to have passion for something, that we do. This is especially true of things that we do long-term. You know, like our paid work–our job–our lifelong career? 😲
This thing you are looking for, that is going to help you like yourself more, needs to meet a few criteria before you can go all-in:
- It needs to be something you like being involved with.
- It has to be something that you will not easily get bored with.
- When you are not doing this thing, you eagerly look forward to doing it.
- Better still, this thing you love doing, which fills you with feelings of reward, also can serve as a source of income for you!
Feelings Not Aligned with Circumstances
You see, I HATED what my life had become! I was torn between opposing feelings. And secretly, I felt incredibly guilty! How could a person be so happy, and be blessed with so much, but still be miserable at the same time?
I recently married my best friend, I have a prestigious career as a drinking water treatment plant operator, and I woke up this morning. How is it possible that I still feel depressed and unfulfilled?
I will tell you how: By not living my idea of success!
Realizing this, is how I recognized the need to change my existence, in a big way! And, the more I researched my possibilities, the more I realized, my idea of success includes helping other people to be happier too!
Achieve Your Goals
At first, I thought that I was approaching this whole blogging thing from a completely different standpoint from most people. That is because, my reason for blogging stemmed from a desperate need for both change, and a creative outlet. (I quickly became aware that this is likely the motivation behind, probably every single blog on the planet!)
And honestly, my reason for blogging also grew out of the fact that I possess so much unused knowledge and skill; so much (largely wasted) critical thinking ability.
I have 22 years of formal education. And I just haven’t put that education to good use, for such a long time! So, I am now approaching blogging as if it is a self-taught online course.
My experience with online learning, during both my undergraduate and graduate career, give me a huge leg up with this! Now, I just have to set my own curricula, and supply my own resources and references. Then, design and build a blog site from the ground-up, with absolutely no prior exposure to building a website. Where could I go wrong? (That is sarcasm. You see, I consistently run into problems. Daily.) Luckily for me, the customer service at Bluehost is phenomenal! And I get bailed out by the IT team, All. The. Time! And, WordPress makes no-code building relatively easy, for those of us to whom computer code may as well be extraterrestrial scrawling.
Why I Started Blogging:
So, for me blogging is a way out from under the gentrification and the very low glass ceiling, under which I am currently trapped. I in no way wish to use my blog to offend nor harm anyone. But I will state the facts, as they exist for me.
Now, my Bachelor’s Degree in Biology easily landed me in a role as a water treatment plant operator, within 3 months after graduation, back in 2017. I find this work to be extremely rewarding, oftentimes challenging, and I would love to retire from a career such as this but…
…the very nature of working in this public utility, in a semi-rural portion of a lower middle class section of Kentucky, means that this is a career field dominated by over 95% men! This is just the way that things have developed here, over time. So to be an outspoken young lady in this field, is not easy (to put things mildly).
What the hell is a Blog?
So, I began looking around for a different option–a way to change my life. And, in looking at starting a new business, some of the marketing side of that led me on to blogging–a shortened form of the original moniker, “web logging.”
Apparently blogging was originally a way for people to simply journal or keep a log online. Indeed, I had thought about maybe starting a blog, about ten or so years back but, if I’m honest, I was turned off by the fact that the word blog sounded to me, like someone throwing up: 🤮BLOG!!!
In fact, in those days, I used to give my (then) sister-in-law, a bit of playful grief about her affinity for blogging. She was strictly online journaling. And, perhaps she still does. And, good on her if she does!
But, I digress. So, whenever I finally familiarized myself, with the true nature of the modern blogosphere, I realized this is what my life has been lacking, up to this point!
Live Your Idea of Success
I could make numerous excuses as to why I shouldn’t blog. And really, I have had a very limited presence online for the past several years. But, that has been because, I’ve kind of stuck my head in the sand like an ostrich for the past several years. This was after a lot of traumatic things happened to me, and I just didn’t want to see any more bad news in the world!
But, I think in order to put that trauma to rest, I must emerge from behind this self-imposed wall I’ve built, and I must put my best foot forward.
What Do You Mean “Idea of Success?”
Ok, so “success” is one of those relative terms, so that, its very mention conjures up different meanings among different people. The Oxford Language definition of success is, “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.”
I like this definition. You see, in our Westernized society, we have kind of gotten it into our minds that success is defined as being in charge and owning financial wealth (being rich and powerful).
However, if we look at success solely as the accomplishment of an aim or purpose, we can begin to see our personal achievements as success. We can begin to view ourselves as “successful.”
It is important to search within ourselves, organize our minds, and define our own, personal idea of success. It is impossible for anyone to do this for us. While we can (and perhaps should) include close loved ones, in our actual decision-making processes, we must define success, for ourselves.
My Idea of Success
My idea of success is, freedom to do what I want, on my own schedule; to be so financially secure, I do not have to worry about debt anymore; to live in a comfortable, luxurious home, with my beloved husband and our beautiful babies; and to travel; to see the world as it is for many people–not just as it is for Americans. And, to hold my head high, and share with the world, my gift of creativity; all while helping other people to define and achieve their own ideas of success!
Also, while this blog will help me to express my creativity, it will showcase what I learn along the way, and we (you and I) will learn together, how to improve our personal situations; whatever those situations maybe for each of us.
I hope that you will enjoy learning and growing with me, and that, in some way, maybe even a major way, I will help make your life easier, better, and far more satisfying for you!
