If you feel like a failure, have hope. Success might be right around the corner.
Last year something showed up on my personal Facebook profile. It really encouraged me, and I thought it might encourage you, too.
First, let me back up a bit.
I’ve discovered that blogging comes with all kinds of challenges just like motherhood comes with all kinds of challenges. No matter what it is in life, sometimes you feel like a failure.
And you know what? It is so neat later to look back at a time when you felt like a failure but you didn’t know the good things in store for you!
According to my recollection, I started blogging in January 2011. That’s what I always counted as blogging. I didn’t know until the end of 2010 that people even had professional blogs.
From January to June 2011 I didn’t tell anyone I was blogging, and all I did was upload columns I was writing for my local newspaper. Then in June 2011, I decided to actually tell people I was blogging.
This had been my “blogging origins” story for four years. It’s how The Humbled Homemaker all began.
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Almost a year ago, the app on Facebook that says “this day __ years ago” came up on my profile saying “This day 5 years ago you wrote a post at” and it showed a link to a Blogspot blog I forgot I even had.
I was shocked. I didn’t even remember having this blog, and it turns out I actually started that blog in 2007!
Looking back, I had 2 blog posts in 2007 and 4 blog posts in 2008. That was good. I doubled the amount of blog posts from 2007.
Then in 2009 I went back down to 1 blog post. That was the hardest of year in my entire life. It was a difficult time in my marriage, and I was going through postpartum depression. Plus, we made a cross-country move and then had to move back across country.
Then in 2010 I had a whopping 10 posts for the year. (I have more than that in a month now here at The Humbled Homemaker!)
In 2010 on December 7, I wrote an article called “Confessions of a Failed Blogger.”
At the time, I thought I was a failure. Then in January 2011, just one month later, I started The Humbled Homemaker.
In the beginning it didn’t look much better than my Blogspot blog. This was my first “professional blog.” The Lord has blessed the efforts from this blog.
If you Google search for Way Back Machine you can see what my blog looked like in the beginning. The first time the Way Back Machine recorded it was in June 2011. This was my blog header design then. It didn’t look super professional.
The boxes on the to-do list are checked off for laundry, grocery shop, and write because those are basically the only things I was getting done. Now I can even check off start dinner and keep sanity (it’s amazing I can check that off now!). I still need to work on the exercise though!
Everyone starts somewhere. At some point in time, whether you are blogging or you’re doing something else, you’re going to feel like you are a failure. But you never know when something big is right around the corner. You never know what God is doing behind the scenes.
If there is some area in your life where you think that you’re failing, I want you to consider writing it down in a journal. Then a year from now look back at what you wrote. And 5 years from now look back. And 10 years from now look back.
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See what God has done in your life because you never know what his plans may be.
When I found this old blog last year, I had chills thinking back to that Erin. I was in a very broken, very dark time in my life. I really feel God used blogging to help heal areas of my heart that needed healing.
Think about where you were 5 years ago, 10 years ago, or even just 1 year ago. What were you doing? What were you struggling with? How have you overcome some of those struggles?
I hope and pray this encourages you that whatever you’re struggling with today will not always be a struggle.
Chantal Steele
This is a really great post! Been there with PPD and I feel like I am finally coming out of the tunnel now that my daughter is almost two. Thanks for sharing!
Rebecca C
This was encouraging, thank you. I’m very much in the midst of those dark days right now. 3 months ago I discovered my husband of 9 years, my best friend in the world, was cheating on me with a 19 year old coworker. He walked out on our family, and has not given us an apology or a cent in support or anything. He has only bothered to come see our 2 year old 6 times (and chose a board game night with The Homewrecker over her birthday). I’m a SAHM living off our savings (that I thankfully got out of the bank before he closed our account) while I try to start a home based business selling “crunchy products” on Etsy. It’s bad. It’s dark. Even so, I can see a light at the end of the tunnel! God has become so SO very real to me, and I’ve learned to depend on and worship him in a way I never have before. It is amazing to see how He has provided for us.
Carrie Willard
Rebecca,
I am so sorry to hear of your struggles. Adultery can obliterate your self esteem. On the financial front, there are resources. I would urge you to hold your ex’s hand to the fire for child support. He doesn’t just get to opt out of his obligation to his kids, and you have the law on your side. I can personally attest to the fact that when he’s paying child support, your co-parenting relationship WILL improve. He’ll feel like a better man and you’ll feel better about things too. See what your state offers in terms of child support enforcement. It is likely free to you.
Hugs and prayers…
Melessa
This was a great post, and my heart and prayers go out to Rebecca! I am sure this post resonates with so many people. In my own life, 5 years ago was the most difficult time for me as well. And it has taken years to finally put it behind me. God has been so faithful, He has been my anchor! Then this year my daughter in law told me I should start a blog. I never would have dreamed it was possible. Now after a couple months of researching how to design a website, and everything about blogging, I am really getting close to launching. I am finding it so exciting and fulfilling to write. just thinking of being able to share with others. Your blog and others have been such an encouragement to me. when my kids were little we didn’t have internet. if I wanted to learn something, it meant a trip to the library for another stack of books!
Aimee Hadden
I so relate to this post! Last year I started my blog and between being post-partum, overwhelmed with the day-to-day with 3 littles, and trying to make our still-being-renovated-house a home (on a very tight budget) it felt like I was failing at everything. Blogging felt like one more thing I was failing at doing well. Sometimes we just need to be reminded that “this too shall pass.” Writing down what you’re experiencing is such a good idea – because now when I see my Facebook posts from last year I am reminded of how much better life is now and I am grateful to be a little less in survival mode. 🙂
Keelie Reason
Beautiful encouragement friend. 🙂 Love your story and your perseverance.
Erin
Thank you so much! <3
Lizzy
Thank you, this was so encouraging. This time last year I was in blogspot, and day to day I feel as though I’m making very little progress, but when I look back to where I was, I know that I gradually am.
Carrie Willard
Thank you so much for sending this out today! I really needed it. The last several years have been one dramatic stressful event after another, and I feel that I’m suffering a bit of PTSD from it.
My ex initiated a divorce and I became a single mom of 4
I remarried a great man, but his ex made our lives a living hell for years
His daughter, who he had custody of, left and refused to speak to him
We added 3 more kids to our brood
I gave birth to a 27-weeker preemie and went through an 11 week NICU hell
The preemie is doing great and is now 2, so we dodged a bullet there. And we paid off my husband’s debt – over $80K worth! Things ARE looking up. Our income is up, our home is peaceful… but on a personal level, I am still suffering with an anxiety I didn’t know before. Also, at one time my blogging income supported my family (as a single lady), but now? PBBBTTTT…. this impacts my self-esteem, as I’ve learned that making money is essential to my feelings of self-worth.
This is why I joined up with you guys over at Crystal Paine’s blogging coaching program, in the hopes that I can break through to the levels I used to be at with my business.
Cassie Clayton
I know I’m a few years late commenting, but I’m SO bookmarking this! I write a ton (mainly in journals), but I still don’t have many blog posts published. I think I’ve mastered the art of overthinking, ha.
Some of your posts speak right to me. In fact, the very title of this post was so spot-on, it actually made me laugh! I make an effort to remind myself of those words on a regular basis. Thank you for being so transparent.
Reading this has given me hope. How reassuring it is to see that I’m not the only one who’s felt these doubts, and look at you go! You’re proof of the light at the end of this tunnel, and I’ll remember that when I feel like turning around.