To blog or not to blog….
I just wanted to be up front with you, my potential followers. I have long toyed with the idea of blogging. However, for whatever reason, I never really took it on. Call it scared, complacent; anything for that matter. I just never did it. But alas, here I am diving in full steam ahead, I decided to start blogging. So thank you for stopping by and taking the time to satisfy your curiosity. If you are familiar with the sport of cricket, this would be my “maiden” blog(just means the first one) .
Top 5 Reasons I decided to start blogging
1. Power of technology and social media
Over the last few years, ever since I was convinced by my husband to get a smart phone, iPhone to be exact, I have come to acknowledge and experience the power of social media. I was always one slow to adopt to technology, which is very ironic since my chosen career is in the field of technology! Go figure! Anyway, I had Facebook at my fingertips, I could google whatever I wanted on the spot, and so on and so forth… you know the drill. Then I discovered Instagram and Pinterest(holy cow!!). And not to mention YouTube university!!! I stopped watching TV!!! (Still haven’t warmed up to Twitter yet though)
My smart phone was enough entertainment for me. And what’s even better, there was so much sharing going on. Everything was literally at my fingertips… and I had multiple options to select and view and try. I learnt so much, got so many ideas, from how to style my natural hair to how to decorate my home for Christmas! It was a whole new world for me; and I am sure I am not alone. Everybody has a smart phone these days. Flip phones have become relics in today’s world.
2. Outlet of expression
There is so much that makes up a person, a family, a community. And for some of us, we don’t get an opportunity or a forum to share. This is the perfect way to share and express. I actually find writing to be cathartic. Funny how that happens given that I hated writing in school.
3. Helping people who face the same challenges
We all face challenges in life. Whether small or large. While we are going through them we might believe that they are unique to us and worse yet, it’s the end of the world. This is an opportunity for me to share some of the challenges I face as an individual and also as a family and how we are approaching them. Hopefully, that will inspire another person to see that they are not alone and provide support and hopefully some ideas on how to move forward in spite of the situation.
4. Making additional income
Meck mi see yuh han if yuh no need likkle extra cash(Jamaican patois) – [Translate-Raise your hand if you do not need some extra cash]…. That’s what I thought… Noone!
Needless to say, we all could do with some extra funds. After all, most of us have finite incomes which we have had to stretch in order to make ends meet. Or worse yet, it’s just not enough to do what’s considered normal. My situation may be a little unique, because yes we have to make our finite incomes stretch, but my husband and I literally started over when we were in our mid-30s after we had our son. I had recently emigrated to the US and basically started from scratch. I can’t say I have done badly at all but when I think about getting our son through college(he’s a smart one), paying off our home and planning for retirement, we are behind the 8 ball. Not having the benefit of 10 years of 401K’s etc, we need to have a solid plan and now is as good a time as any to start. So I decided to get my side hustle on. I decided to start blogging.
Back in the day people had many children and that would be their pension for old age. Things and times have changed. Moreover, is one “pickney” (child) God bless us with.
5. Platform for networking
If you are like me, life in America can get so busy that you get sucked into going from home to work to pick up the kids to church to the grocery store etc… you know what I mean. Life gets routine and mundane with little time left to really network with others with similar interests and also others from whom you can learn in any meaningful way. It can be done, but it’s tough. Especially when you throw in long commutes.
Blogging will allow me to make connections with people that I wouldn’t otherwise meet. We can share ideas, experiences and develop synergies that will only work to our collective benefit. I am so looking forward to this aspect of it.
So to conclude, I hope you will take this journey with me. I am looking forward to sharing with you and also to learning from you. Please feel free to comment below. Words of encouragement, suggestions, anything… Thanks again for stopping by. Hopefully you will join me and start blogging too!!
