Real It ‘Til You Feel It

This is my new, somewhat lame, but still rhyming take on fake it ’til you make it.

And no, I’m not bashing fake it ’til you make it. It works wonders in a number of situations that include, but are not limited to:

Being nice to someone who gets on your nerves because you don’t spend enough time around them to create an enemy.

Somehow finding yourself involved in a lively conversation about Game of Thrones and pretending to know even an ounce about it, just so you don’t have to answer any flabbergasted questions related to your thinking it was a reality show about poker for many years.

Many professional situations that require poise when all you want to do is scream that you have no idea what people are talking about or how a pivot table is in any way useful.

So yeah, while fake it ’til you make it is tried and true in a variety of situations, it really just doesn’t work for everything. One prime example would be this little blogging venture I’ve been on for nearly five years. Now, don’t get me wrong. I have zero regrets and I’m not stopping. This has been an absolutely wonderful outlet that has given me endless joy for years, but there are some notable and obvious flaws in terms of reaching my intended goals. So, as is my specialty, I’ve decided to list said flaws numerically:

1. I’m not consistent at all. I go pedal to the metal October through January and utterly wear myself out. After 13 days of Halloween, 25 days of Blogmas, and my usual January shenanigans, I am absolutely tapped for interesting content. This exhaustion also coincides with the most abysmal time of year. Even if I had a New York Times Best Seller blog drafted, I’d still be unwilling to stand outside in the frosty winter landscape to try and take a cute picture for it. And unfortunately, if I’ve learned anything, it’s that the cute picture is necessary.
2. There’s really not been much growth. I’m sure this is the product of a million different factors, consistency among them. And no, I don’t really consider myself a sellout for considering this a flaw. I would love to have some growth here because ideally, this space would generate some income and make it possible for me to put significantly more time into it. And also, I’ve been juggling book ideas around for about a decade and it just doesn’t seem worth writing if only my immediate family will buy it and not even read it (no offense guys, but I know you).
3. I don’t have a niche. And while that doesn’t really bother me at all, I think it may bug readers and viewers. This is probably where I struggle the most because I’ve happily explored a lot of avenues here and I don’t think I could fully commit to a single one.
4. I don’t have a ton of time. I’ve already said this, but to drive it home: I have a life to maintain, a pretty demanding full-time job, family out of state, and you would be absolutely shocked to know that laying in bed hammering away at the keys on my laptop doesn’t create a summer body. Or foster cardiac health. Or general physical fitness at all. And yes, you do make time for what you care about, but come Blogmas season, you know where those hours come from? They come right out of my already compromised sleep schedule. I’m a zombie elf during the holidays.

A couple of weeks ago, a very popular Columbus blogger urged her followers to ask her anything. With zero hesitation, I asked, “Tips for a successful personal brand?” Her answer:

For a split second, it felt easy for me to lean on my insecurities and think, it’s not that easy. This girl is beautiful and bubbly, and I’m missing this, that, and the other that she inherently has and it won’t work this way for me.

But, that was my laziness and lack of confidence talking. Because truth be told, the only thing on this very short list that I’ve done successfully and consistently is be myself. (In case you’re just now meeting me, I cuss a lot. Hate working out. Lean on self-deprecating humor. Would wear sweatpants to a wedding if I could. Almost always would rather be watching Netflix. Now you know it all!)

So, I wrote you a novel to ultimately say, Hi! I’m here. I’m going to be here on Wednesdays and Sundays for now, and hopefully even more frequently at @laughingatleighann over on Instagram. Please follow along and engage because I love making friends! I also would love to know what you’d like to hear more about from me?

Is it cruelty free beauty? Book reviews? Mental health chats? Favorites? The Bachelor? Fashion? Seriously, let me know!

Time to get real until I feel like I’ve done my best.

xoxo laughingatleighann