Life Lately: Volume 4 – This is Me

by | Dec 10, 2018 | life lately, real talk, thoughts | 10 comments

When the sharpest words wanna cut me down
I’m gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out
I am brave, I am bruised
I am who I’m meant to be, this is me
Look out ’cause here I come
And I’m marching on to the beat I drum
I’m not scared to be seen
I make no apologies, this is me.

~The Greatest Showman, “This Is Me”

Taking the Plunge

It takes a lot to do something that’s out of the general norm and out of your comfort zone. And it also takes a lot to put yourself out there and be vulnerable. When you finally take the plunge, you’re bound to encounter criticism, jealousy, judgment or confusion from others.

Growing up, I learned the true meaning of that as I started writing and publishing my work. I mentioned it in this post, but I started various blogs and wrote notes on Facebook throughout high school and college. I loved to write and I was bursting with things I wanted to get off my chest. Unfortunately, after hitting ‘publish,’ I encountered many eye rolls and became the brunt of a lot of my friends’ jokes. I’m assuming they didn’t really get why I was doing what I was doing or didn’t care to understand. It hurt, but I didn’t let it stop me from continuing to write, because it was something I loved to do.

I knew starting Lipstick & Ink would probably subject me to the same reactions. It’s why I knew I had to create a professional blog for real – one that had its own domain and its own personality. I figured if I took it seriously as a brand and made it legit looking, people would take me seriously. I put my heart and soul into my website and learned how to work with CSS and JavaScript codes. I taught myself everything and created thelipstickandink.com entirely on my own.

Navigating Negativity & Insecurities

When I launched Lipstick & Ink this past February, I received so much positivity and encouragement. It signified to me that I had done something right this time around. Or maybe just enough time had passed for people to mature and recognize that this was me and writing was my passion. I so appreciate those people who offered their words of encouragement and who have stuck by me, believed in me, and pushed me throughout the last year. Thank you from the bottom of my heart

The reality though is that when you start a new venture, while you do get positive feedback and support (and surprisingly, from people you wouldn’t have expected), you also get the complete opposite. You unfortunately get people who ignore everything about it and act like that part of you doesn’t exist. You get people who unfollow you on social media for whatever reason. And you even get people who have harsh words to say that cut deep to your core. It’s been eye opening for me to see who is there to support me and who isn’t. 

The thing is, I know a lot of my family and friends don’t really get the whole blogging thing. I understand they probably just aren’t into blogs or care that much about them. But despite that, I would have thought I’d still have their support or they’d at least read Lipstick & Ink because it’s my blog. It’s made me question everything. What am I doing wrong? Why don’t the people I care about want to talk about this part of my life with me? Am I being annoying? Do they not like this part of me? Should I be writing about something else more relatable? Do they even care? It’s honestly enough to drive a girl completely mad. 

It had gotten to a point the last few months where I almost felt embarrassed or ashamed even talking about my blog. It made me feel like I needed to keep my blogger life separate from my personal life, which didn’t do me any favors because it’s one of the biggest parts of my life. And because I had all of these insecurities swirling around in my head, I sometimes would stop myself while writing and think, what will people think of me for writing this? or will this offend someone? or will anyone care about this? And then I’d go back and rewrite whatever I was writing until I got it to a point where I felt okay with it.

Not Changing Who I Am

I’ve let the insecurities consume me and I’ve shed tears over it. But once the tears were wiped and I allowed myself to be sad over it the last few months, I picked myself up last week and changed my attitude. I’ve realized I’m not going to change something because I’m afraid of what people will think. I’m not going to worry anymore about how people are going to react (or not react). I’m certainly not going to stop what I love because of the haters and the people in my life who don’t support me. And I’m definitely not going to change who I am.

If you too feel like you aren’t being fully supported or being seen, I see you. I feel what you are going through. Don’t let the negativity get to you. Use the haterade as fuel. Don’t change who you are to appease others. You are you for a reason and you are doing great. Keep pushing and keep achieving. Keep being you. Keep making your mark.

This is Me

I’m listening to The Greatest Showman’s song “This is Me” on repeat as I write this and it’s giving me so much life. This song in its entirety has spoken to me to just be me and stop worrying about what others think. I won’t be a people pleaser. I won’t sugarcoat things I’m writing about. I won’t tiptoe around the fact that I have a blog and that I’m excited about what I’m doing with it. I won’t make apologies for being who I am. If people don’t want to talk to about Lipstick & Ink or what I’ve been up to with it, that’s on them. If people don’t want to support me, that’s on them. If people are going to hate and punish me for doing what I love, that’s on them.

This blog is 100% me and I’m 100% proud of it. It may have started as a hobby, but in less than a year, it’s become much more than that. I am turning it into a side hustle and my plan is to eventually turn it into a business. What I’ve been able to accomplish already boggles my mind and I know it’s only the beginning.

“And I’m marching on to the beat I drum. I’m not scared to be seen. I make no apologies, THIS IS ME.” 

Pink lipstick stain

Kelly turns around as she smiles and walks on a Chicago bridge.

 

Welcome to Lipstick & Ink®, your home for everything career and wellness inspired. I’m Kelly, a Chicago-based marketing tech professional, writer, career coach, speaker, and events host.

Whether we’re working together on your career aspirations, refreshing your professional documents, or keeping your mental health in check, I encourage you to own your power and make your mark – one lipstick stain at a time.

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10 Comments

  1. It’s discouraging to not have the support of important people in your life, but it’s great that you’re pushing on regardless! I recently started a blog also, and have definitely felt timid of what others might think. Thanks for being a positive inspiration!

    Reply
    • Thank you, Kelli! It’s definitely a common feeling amongst bloggers, I feel like. We just shouldn’t let what other people will think (or not think) affect us!

      Reply
  2. Omg I totallly feel you on this one. I’ve doubted myself and questioned whether I should continue with my blog so many times over because I didn’t feel any support or encouragement from the people I thought would show it the most. BUT I haven’t given up and I’m so proud of you for also pushing through it. I’ve been following your blog since you launched it and you are doing amazing girl! Keep it up ❤️

    Reply
    • I’m so glad you can relate and that I’m not alone in this! It’s difficult to swallow that the people we care about most don’t necessarily support us or care about our blog efforts. I’m glad to hear you haven’t given up either and appreciate your support! Thank you so much for following along and reading! You’re the best!

      Reply
  3. Thank you so much for sharing! This is so relevant in the new blogger world and also just in life in general. Don’t give up! You will look back and be happy you didn’t (I’ve been telling myself this a lot lately too!)

    Reply
    • I had a hunch it would be relevant to other bloggers! Thank you for your encouragement and support – and also for reading! Appreciate it, Jess!

      Reply
  4. Keep doing what you’re doing girl. It’s amazing and inspirational. Coming from our industry, it’s great to show that it’s fine and great to have a passion/hobby outside of our day to days. It takes work but is totally doable.

    Reply
    • Thanks so much, Amanda. I really appreciate your support and kind words, as well as reading what I have to say!

      Reply
  5. Thank you so much for putting your heart on your sleeve and sharing this with us. This really, really resonates right down to my core. Keep doing what you’re doing because what matters is that you are helping people! Your strength overcoming this is so inspiring and I love that we can be on this journey together!
    PS the Greatest Showman is the best, it inspired one of my blog posts too. Love it!

    Reply
    • Ahh love it!! And you are so welcome! Thank you for reading and telling me it resonates! I love that we can be on this crazy journey together too, continuing to cheer each other on!

      Reply

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