Am I the first person to write a blog about blogging? Yes. But this isn’t about me.

Being original is important, because it distinguishes you from the crowd. Being original allows you to offer something unique, something that hasn’t been done before. But let’s face it, the odds of being totally original are fairly small. Beyond being original, you should strive to just be you.

People love stories.

People love personalities.

Discover the core of what makes you YOU.

By being YOU, you offer key things that can help you become successful:

• Authenticity
• The ability to tell your own story
• No barrier between you and your audience

When you’re unequivocally yourself, you allow your audience to really see what you’re like, and they will appreciate that and more importantly, relate to you. If you try to do the opposite, they’ll be able to tell. Your audience will smell your pretence a mile away – and people don’t take kindly to phonies.

Enjoy your quirkiness, your idiosyncrasies, and share them with the world. Now, I don’t mean you should tap each doorknob four times before making sure it’s locked or discuss your parent’s divorce at your next networking event. Instead, let your logo and marketing materials express your style, and don’t be afraid to express yourself through social media. In the ongoing battle to be original, take a break and just be you.

A look at how refocusing your life can often mean sacrifice

At least once a year I try to look at my professional standing and truly evaluate it. I ask myself the following questions (and I encourage you to as well):

1. Does what I do still make sense to me?
2. Does what I do still make me happy?
3. Is what I do providing enough financial security?
4. Am I continuing to grow?

All of these questions don’t have to hold the “correct” answer. If what you’re doing doesn’t make you 100% happy but right now it’s the best financial decision, then make that paper. If you’re not making as much money as you’d like but you’re working towards goals that are inspiring you, then you’re headed in the right direction. The problem occurs when you’re spinning your wheels.

If you’re not happy and you’re not making any money, then you need to refocus. If you’re making money, but your unhappiness is overshadowing that, then you need to refocus. If you’re making money and are moderately happy but can’t see yourself growing, then you may need to refocus.

Remember, this isn’t without sacrifice. You may need to say goodbye to a job that you’ve held for years. You may need to move on from people you’ve built relationships with. You may need to sacrifice a bigger paycheck for an extra shot of happiness every week.

Refocusing also may not make everything clear, and that is a pill that’s tough to swallow, because refocusing to make your life better may not make everything better at once. Consider this example: Joe hates his job, but makes good money. Joe can’t stand his job anymore, so he quits. Joe understand that by quitting his job he’ll be sacrificing his paycheck, but he’s got great qualifications and more importantly, the drive to succeed.

Now, Joe’s example is a simplified, black and white story for a very gray scenario, but sometimes oversimplification can get to the heart of the matter. When you make moves to better your life, everything can’t happen at once. But, if you’re not happy – refocus. If you’re not making enough money – refocus. When I was fired and no longer working full-time, I was terrified, and had a few very financially tight years. But my overall happiness and desire to work for myself in my own way was enough to make the other sacrifices worth it.

I encourage you to ask yourself those four simple/difficult/complicated/essential questions and determine if you need to refocus, because life can be too damn good to be miserable for too damn long.

People always ask me what my best advice for writers is. Just kidding – no one has ever asked me for writing advice. Ever. And that’s okay, because the truth is, I don’t know a whole lot about writing. I don’t read enough, I don’t write enough, I don’t workshop enough (except in college – but back then workshopping was called “drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes).

Let it simmer. Let your ideas marinate in your brain before every touching a piece of paper or a pen.

I do have one piece of advice (unsolicited as it may be). My number one piece of advice for anyone writing, blogging, or journaling would be: Let it simmer. Let your ideas marinate in your brain before every touching a piece of paper or a pen. Plenty of people advise writers to carry pencil and paper with them all the time in case inspiration takes over, and while the sentiment is great, it’s not always realistic. What if inspiration strikes while you’re in the middle of the grocery checkout line with your screaming baby trying to jump over the conveyor belt to touch the buttons on the cash register? What if inspiration strikes while you’re in a public restroom (tangent piece of advice: when in a public restroom, touch as little as possible).

Frantically writing down creative lines and excerpts is a great idea for those nuggets, or one-liners that pop into your head randomly. However, if you’re planning on writing an essay, short story, or any  longer piece, let that idea simmer in your brain. Really think about each idea, what it means to you, and how you want to approach it in writing. Pretend your idea is a big, lumpy ball of dough and your brain is a pasta roller. Churn that idea through each level of the pasta roller until that lumpy ball of dough becomes smooth, evenly shaped pasta you can’t wait to sink your teeth into (your teeth would probably be your pen and pencil, or typewriter if you need more help with this metaphor).

It’s important to edit your work, but consider the value in mentally editing your ideas before you even write them down. Don’t worry about remembering them – the ones worth remembering will always find their way to paper. The next time creativity strikes, let it simmer and see how it affects the final piece.

When the hell am I going to blog?

I talk about writer’s block a lot, mostly because I THINK about writer’s block a lot. As a freelance writer, there’s a lot of pressure to blog regularly or at least produce some content on a personal level on a consistent basis. As you can see from the lapse in posts, I don’t succumb to the pressure very often.

You see, I really don’t see anything wrong with not writing when you don’t have anything to write about. I put faith in ideas, and that ideas will happen sort of organically. Yes, you should feed your brain and creativity by continuing to write in one way or another. Still, if it ain’t happening, it ain’t happening. Don’t ever feel pressure to produce creatively because (if you’re anything like me) you’ll end up frustrated and disappointed.

I’ve had a crazy couple of months – in a superb way. Balancing my own business while maintaining a part-time job while staying at home with my son is a constant seesaw of obligations. On top of that, I’ve been fortunate enough to publish a book – a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. Because of this my blog has definitely suffered. But that’s okay. Business is great, and taking time to focus on my business and my book will breathe life into creative ideas down the road.

So that’s that. An article about not writing articles.

Do you feel pressure to produce creatively? How do you channel that?

Every entrepreneur says it. Every start up believes it as their mantra. Trusting your crazy ideas can be the difference between being ingenious, and just being in debt. Still, it warrants repeating. Trusting yourself and believing in your ideas is key to stepping away from the herd. What’s more, having the courage to stand behind your ideas can add confidence and gumption to the recipe – two key ingredients that can take your crazy ideas to the next level.

Case in point: this music video from Of Monsters and Men. In their visual accompaniment to “Little Talks,” this Icelandic folk band creates something truly mesmerizing. It’s weird, fantastical, and overall lovely. The video was created by a company called WeWereMonkeys, and my Googles tell me they have also worked with Coheed and Cambria and Land of Talks. Watch the video and feel creativity ignite:

There. Did it work? Are wonderful ideas never thought of by anyone sprouting out your ear holes? Alright, maybe not, but that’s okay. The point here isn’t to generate ideas – those will come on their own. Instead, recognize them when they do come, and stand behind them to help them grow. The geniuses that created this video trusted their ideas, and didn’t worry about who would love it or who wouldn’t get it. The result is something completely daring, gorgeous, and original.