Saturday 28 June 2014

School of Life v.8: Blog lessons

This past week was full of little "aha"-moments. And who provided these pockets of enlightenment?
You, my fellow bloggers! It seems to me that sometimes, I can be a slow learner, and things that should have been obvious just became clear to me now. But better late than never, right?

Lesson 1: I found the best definition of what an introvert is. 

Introvert vs extrovert. What are you? Do you know? Or do you think you know, like I did? There are lots of tests, the Myers-Briggs Personality Test being one of the best known ones. I took that test several times over the last year, because the first time I took it I got a result that seemed somewhat off: it put me into the extrovert group. 
What's so interesting about this is that I appear outgoing, and I am - but I'm definitely not an extrovert. So I must have answered some questions not as truthfully as I thought I did - it's hard to know yourself y'all!
The next few times I got the same result each time, which is INFJ, and makes much more sense. An introvert that's intuitive, feeling and judging - yep, that's me!
But the very best (and shortest!) definition of what an introvert is comes from a fellow INFJ, fellow Corgi mom and all-around awesome blogger: Melyssa from The Nectar Collective
She wrote last week in her post about the Alt Summit
"[...] but Alt reminded me what introversion really is - feeling re-energized by solitude."
Bam. You hit the nail on the head, Melyssa! That's it in a nutshell.

Lesson 2: About professional blogging and brands.

Blogging as a full-time job fascinates me. Like most (all?) bloggers, I sometimes fantasize what it would be like to do this gig as a real job. You know, getting paid for it, having thousands of followers, doing this for a living. Quite frankly, the thought terrifies me more than anything - I don't think I could handle the job insecurity, the internet haters, and the pressure of having to come up with quality content all.the.time. 
The sad truth is: I am one of those boring people who need the comforting knowledge that it is really, really hard to get fired; that I will get a pension one day; and that I can tell you exactly what days I will work for the rest of this year - or eternity. I'd like to be wild and free - but still with a leash on that tethers me firmly to a regular income. *sigh*
Those German values are deeply ingrained, dammit!

Fortunately, there are much braver people out there, and I admire them deeply. One of them is Amber from Forever Amber, who I have a bit of a crush on. She is so funny! And so stylish! And a full-time blogger, which to me is, and always will be, the coolest job ever. 
Her latest post is a real eye opener about some of the difficulties a professional blogger has to deal with. She describes some of the outrageous offers she gets: companies asking her to buy their product, write about it and advertise it for them - all for free. Huh? 
Read it, it's very informative! And something we "hobby bloggers" don't know much about. 

Lesson 3: Talent is overrated.

I have recently come across a fascinating lady: Penelope Trunk. Frankly, I'm not quite sure (yet) what to make of her. She is brutally honest (click here for an example). She is very unconventional: her career advice is contrary to what most people will tell you: Don't do what you lovedon't be the hardest worker in your jobget married first, then focus on your career. Intriguing, right? I have been clicking around on her (very extensive) website, reading articles here and there, learning a bit more about Asperger syndrome and being thoroughly entertained. She is outrageous, highly successful, and so very different - I love it. 

In one of her posts about blogging I came across this statement: Talent is overrated. She is quoting a book called Freakonomics, and what they say is this:
"What makes people stand out - concert pianists, Olympic athletes (and probably big-time bloggers) is that they love to practice. They love to do it day in and day out and so they get really good at it."
I like that! There are a couple things I would like to get really good at: photography and writing. What a comforting thought it is that with practising daily, I'm getting a tiny bit closer to my goal every day! 

Are there any aha-moments you would like to share? Link up below!

Happy Sunday!
xo Miriam

The School of Life
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4 comments

  1. Practice is really the best way to get good but man o man is it hard to realize that!

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  2. My husband is introverted (I think I am a little too) but he is BIG TIME! He's reading Freakanomics right now. Have you ever read Outliers? You might like it. "They" say that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to be an expert in your field. So, keep writing and taking pictures.
    What to know why I love you and your blog? Because you are so carefree in your pictures. I always wanted to be more like that :)

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  3. This is a cool take on the post!! Looking forward to reading some of these, particularly the Penelope Trunk.

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  4. I use to read Penelope's blog ALL the time! She hosts online classes every now and again too, some of which really sparked my interest. Mariah, I think I emailed you about one waaaay back when.

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