So What Happens When a Blogger Reaches the Wall? (She Writes a New Door.)

Blogging is a baby bird whose gaping mouth cries endlessly for more. Even as I hit “publish” I often already hear swirling whispers of my next post.  Hey…I hear them now and I don’t even know exactly what this one will say yet.

I love this blog and I love my readers. But some days, as much as I empathize with the pain so many are going through…as much as I want to hug all of you and tell you it will be ok…as much as I know I can make a difference just by taking the time to answer your questions and show you someone is listening and cares…I am hit by the thought “What about me? What about my needs?”

And my first reaction to that thought is how selfish I’m being – especially now when the need for career and interview help is so great. But I also know in this economy, with so many people needing help, it’s unfortunately an endless need. A need no one person can or should ever hope to fulfill. And as my traffic grows (a wonderful thing for sure), my window on the need grows too.  And to stay sane but also to start to pay attention to my own needs, I’ve reached a point where I finally have to start honoring my semi-recent policy of not answering everyone – which I have never to this moment done despite promising myself and my readers I would.

Instead, so no one would be left hanging, I simply started writing shorter answers…well, at least I tried. Plus I answered less frequently – although eventually I answered.  But so often the request is urgent – PLEEEEASE answer right now. PLEEEASE help me stop driving myself crazy over maybes and what ifs! And it touches my heart. Still I had to learn – and I’m still learning – to just let it wait until I have the time to answer. Boundaries – such a tough thing. And yet…day by day, it’s getting easier if I may be honest – because the alternatives are to either spend way too much of my time chained to the computer or let this blog go completely. And to borrow from the wisdom of Bartleby, the Scrivener, “I would prefer not…” (Although I do hope for a happier ending than Bartleby.)

So now, as more and more I hear the call of the blogging anti-muse, I am looking for ways to keep this going, but also ways to move on. My thoughts at this moment are to back off further and open up the blog even more to readers (and some invited coaches) willing to help out. What a wonderful thing if my personal need to re-aim my energy would result in this blog becoming even more of a resource for folks to help and support each other. I love that some of you are already doing that and invite you and others to step in and help take up my “I prefer not” slack.

Oh…I’m not going away. This is my baby bird after all. For as long as I can, I’ll still stop by to say hello and answer questions once in while (I already feel myself wavering…be strong). But maybe if I don’t have to answer ALL the questions or even most…well maybe then I will be able to more fully turn my attention to some of my own dreams. I happen to be in a career and life transition of my own (just finished a certificate program at NYU on Sunday). I have only some idea of where I’ll wind up both for  career (hint: probably not career coaching) and home (may be moving to the Bay Area…stay tuned). But whatever it is I wind up creating for myself, I’m itching to get to it already!

And so, after much soul-searching, I’ve realized it’s time to step back from here – for as long as it feels right. That also includes changing what I post about. I’m sure I’ll still write advice posts now and then (some are still coming up since I already started them); but there’s already a lot of advice here – as well as many readers who have been through it themselves. So until I figure out what this blog eventually morphs into (assuming it does), I’ll be writing about work-related topics that amuse me or get me riled or simply fascinate me for whatever reason. It might even get my blogging juices going again.

So off I go now to write a new door for myself. Wish me luck. Ill definitely let you know what happens.

~ Ronnie Ann

And if you’re a blogger who went through this (or are going through it right now), please tell me how you’re handling the wall!  Did you try to change your blog? Did it survive? If not, did a new one get born in its place?  Words of wisdom and your own stories very welcome!