I’ve been feeling very overwhelmed with all the things I’m trying to do and learn. In addition to running a household with 2 teens, a dog, a cat, a husband and a consulting practice, I’m trying very hard to learn how to master all the various types of social media.
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The reason I’m working on learning how to master all of these social media outlets is so that they can help me get my blog and it’s message out to other women who are either going through a breast cancer diagnosis or have someone close to them who is going through the process.
And it’s really making my head spin.
Because I’m not really that good at details or at technical things and the whole world of Google+, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Redditt, Pinterest, Stumbleupon, blogging networks, has got me so overwhelmed.
Every time I read another post that explains how to build more followers on Google+, which usually includes words like SEO, Circles, Filters, Long tail keywords or Data mining my mind shuts down and my head screams “NO, I can not figure this shit out, nor do I want to!”
I get so frustrated and annoyed at both myself and the process because I want to be able to figure it out quickly and easily so that I can get back to the task at hand which is WRITING the posts and getting the useful and helpful content up and out into the world.
And so I did what I do when I’m feeling frustrated. I called my BFF and ranted for a while about how frustrated I am and how I can’t wrap my head around all the technical details. She listened and then said, “You’ll figure it out, you always do. It will all fall into place, trust your instincts.”
Which is exactly the reminder that I needed to hear and dead on (it’s great to have good friends who really know you, isn’t it?)
Then in search of a little inspiration I sat down and googled “inspirational quotes about having a crappy day” and the one below showed up.
This did just the trick for me, today. Don’t you just love Google?
Because that quote above is exactly what I needed to remind myself the purpose and goal of my life, my parenting and my blog. I just want to be of value.
Thank you Albert Einstein (or rather, thank you Google) for reminding me of what I need to keep in front of me for every single thing I do.
What about you? Do you feel overwhelmed when you’re in the midst of learning new things? What’s your hot button?
That is a great quote. Gotta love Einstein. Smartest guy in the world but couldn’t find a comb, apparently.
Thanks, Kathleen, of course he couldn’t find a comb with that wild hair of his, eh? 🙂
Hi Claudia! Excellent quote and this post is so true. It is a delicate balance to find ways to share your message without wanting to run and put your head in the sand! What works the best for me is doing those things that come naturally and easy and just flat refusing to do anything else that other say have to be done. And write. Just keep writing. I also equate it to the fact that instead of learning a foreign language to keep my brain sharp…learning to do my blog and get it out there is my foreign language. It sounds like you have an awesome message that is extremely valuable to others in that situation. Just remember how much value it has and keep writing! ~Kathy
Thanks, Kathy. For some reason, this week I’ve been so overwhelmed by all the new info I’m hearing about G+ and SEO. I honestly don’t know how either of them work! And figure eventually it will sink in but this week (since my regular work has been very busy) I just felt like i just couldn’t even think about it. So, thanks for your kind words of reassurance!
I am always overwhelmed when I am learning something new!! I am sure I will never get it, I bemoan my fate and my non technical skills and then surprise myself by learning it!! Lol! Thanks for a great message and a great quote!
Hi Kathy – I know, sometimes all this jargon just gets me so confused! I’m not very technical by nature and it’s so overwhelming, but I know that (like you) eventually I’ll figure it out. Thanks for “listening!”
Love the quote! It’s on my wall, now . . .
Overwhelming? Taxes! I’ve been working on ours for the past two days and I’m stuck. Stuck. STUCK! *&^%$#@!!!
Better now . . .
Oh no, taxes??? I had sort of forgotten about them……they’re next, argh!
I love the quote! I feel overwhelmed when trying to learn something new when doing a home remodeling project. It always seems something easy turns to something difficult in an older home. I sometimes walk away and have learned You Tube is a great resource for step by step directions!
You’re right, Kathy, youtube is a good idea for learning some of this stuff, thanks for the reminder!
Learning social media is kinda crappy. At least for me. I’m cool with Facebook and would be content to only use Facebook, but then they change their crap and no one can see what I post there, so it sucks. I have a twitter account, but I forget to log in and check it. I don’t get blog referrals from twitter, although I have almost 100 followers – makes me kinda wonder what the point is. As for the rest – no time for pinterest and google + makes my head spin. I Need to devote time to it, but writing and reading other peoples writings is much more interesting these days. Good luck with learning it all though! 😀
Hi Rhonda, There are just so many of them to try and stay on top of!! I decided to take the last few days off from social media and have calmed down significantly! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and by the way, your new site design looks great! I think you redesigned it from the previous times I’ve stopped by your site, this new look is really nice, very clean, I like it.
dear Claudia,
I, too, am not tech savvy – it all makes my head spin! but keep reminding yourself about that quote. and keep writing! you do it so beautifully, and the YOU that writes your blog is of enormous value to so many of us who need to know we are not alone.
my son is the one that helps me, though I was somewhat dismayed that he ordered me an iphone just 2 days after my total hysterectomy! all his excitement for his mom finally getting just a little up to speed went right over my head. but I do find that if my brain feels stuffed to the gills with TMI, I just walk away, quoting in my head, Scarlett O’Hara’s, “…i’ll think about that tomorrow.” seems like it’s a case of everything in it’s own good time.
much love and light,
Karen xoxo
Hi Karen, Thank you for your very generous comments! Very funny that your son gave you an iphone right after a big surgery like that – kids don’t really have a clue, but they mean well. And….love the Scarlett O’Hara quote, I have to admit, I use that a lot 🙂 xo
dear Claudia,
I just wrote you a comment and it has vanished. and I can’t remember exactly what it said. sigh. but here’s the main gist – keep that quote in your mind, and know that the YOU that is poured into your blog has great value. we all need to know we are not alone. keep writing! and about techy stuff, it’s very hard for me, too. but often when my brain is stuffed to the gills, I just walk away, and then it seem’s to be a case of everything all in good time.
much love and light,
Karen xoxo
Hi Karen (again) – I got both of your comments and published before I realized they were both from you so the first one came through! Thanks, again for your comments and for being so loyal to MLB! xo
Yes! Yes! Yes! Trying to learn everything is impossible. Now I’m focusing on G+, because this year I want to focus on my writing.
We are all in the same boat, Claudia. You are NOT alone!!
Hi Cathy,
Glad it’s not just me….feeling so confused by G+! Thanks for the words of comfort 🙂
Yes! Yes! Yes!
We are all struggling to learn more about social media, but I’ve decided to focus on knowing only a few. Right now it’s G+, which I need to learn more about.
Sometimes things won’t be perfect, they just ARE. I want to focus on my writing more than learning all about social media.
Great post, Claudia. You are not alone. NOT AT ALL…
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I feel the same way! It just feels like a title wave of information out there. I want to try it all, learn it all, sift through the weak methods to find the best ones. And, every day there is another tool or platform popping up. I’d like to freeze the world, and grab myself 5 years to learn it all, and then hit unfreeze. I am so grateful you’ve expressed this today. I needed to hear it. And, another outstanding quote!
Hi Meg, I’ve decided to let it progress naturally instead of trying to learn everything all at once. Google+ is so confusing to me, so I’ll just take my time with it. Wouldn’t it be nice to have 5 years to learn it all?!
Yes! 🙂