Have you ever taken your kids to a play date or a party and they’ve sat on the edges of the group? They seem to be watching, waiting and hoping that something will happen, or someone will ask them to join in …

So they can get in on the action?

Yep. So have I. And my heart breaks every time. It’s like watching a car crash about to happen, and you can’t tear your eyes away from it…

Watching and waiting is soooo overrated.

At least when it comes to blogging.

Some people say the biggest hurdles in blogging are the logistics and processes of setting one up. I disagree.

There’s an even bigger hurdle that you need to jump.

It’s actually starting.

Beginning anything can be hard, but starting a blog has the added complexity of the millions of people (that you think) that will see your work, words and ideas.

It’s a huge fear that drives us all (myself included at the start, and even still on my bad days) running and screaming to curl up in the foetal position under your bedcovers, rocking yourself and muttering, “Happy place. Find my happy place.”

So to help you kick that hurdle outa the way, here’s a list of what isn’t starting:

A.  The worries

1. Worrying about how bad your writing is.
2. Worrying about how good your writing is.
3. Worrying about people reading your stuff.
4. Worrying about people not reading your stuff.
5. Worrying about not having anything to say.
6. Worrying about having too much to say.
7. Worrying about not having enough to say, enough of the time.
8. Worrying about people liking and commenting on your stuff.
9. Worrying about people not liking and commenting on your stuff.
10. Worrying about nobody commenting on your stuff.

B.   The wasting

1. Wasting hours deciding what to write about.
2. Wasting hours deciding what not to write about.
3. Wasting hours surfing other blogs in the name of preparation.
4. Wasting hours reading other blogs and books in the name of education.
5. Wasting hours on social media building your platform on someone else’s property.
6. Wasting hours faffing around looking for the perfect theme design.
7. Wasting hours looking for plugins and do-dads to make things happen.
8. Wasting hours obsessing about the whole blog thing.

C.   The fears

1. Self-doubt.
2. Failure.
3. Taking the leap.

Stop it.

Enough already!

Go, create. Press publish.

“Beginning is easy – continuing hard”

~ Japanese Proverb

Why is starting so hard?

What are your thoughts on starting? Have I missed any of those nasties that are holding you back from giving blogging a whirl? Let me know in the comments.

Other posts in the series:

Mummy Blogging 101: Try it, it’s addictive

Mummy Blogging 101: 5 fundamentals of setting up house

Mummy Blogging 101: Getting your writing mojo on

Mummy Blogging 101: Write a blog post that stinks …

Mummy Blogging 101: 5 free image sites to help tell your story, legally!

Mummy Blogging 101: The ABC’s of writing a blog post

Mummy Blogging 101: Steal time from your BFF [or anyone]