Embrace the Journey


Embrace the Journey, by Angela Driskell

Do you ever find yourself looking at websites and feel like there is no way you can have a site like that? We start thinking of all the things we need:

  • Web Address.
  • Pretty Pages.
  • Great Content.
  • Blogging Schedule.
  • Logo.
  • Colors.
  • Fonts.
  • Tagline.
  • Audience.

And the list continues.

We find ourselves quickly overwhelmed. Yes, you want to start blogging, and you want a website, but how will you ever get to that place of having a blog like the ones you enjoy and respect? There is so much to do, and it feels impossible to do everything.

How we react to this moment of pressure will have a long-lasting effect on our journey. We can choose to give up or freeze up, or instead, determine to invest in whatever it takes to create the blog we’ve always dreamed of.

But even then, sometimes getting a blog started can feel overwhelming. You may have no idea where to start, so instead, you freeze. As the icicles of being overwhelmed grow, so does the doubt, fear and anxiety. If you stay in this place for too long, you will likely give up on the journey. Maybe for a season, or perhaps even forever.

So let’s say you decide to not let fear get in the way and you commit to push past the temptation to throw in the towel? So you say to yourself, “OK, I’m going to do this! I’m going to start a new website and it’s going to be amazing! Think positive!” Then you sit down and start making lists, lists, and oh, the lists. You suddenly realize you have so much to figure out and there is so much you need to know about how to start a website. You research and update the lists to make sure you know exactly how to do this right!

However during this process, that overwhelming feeling creeps up again and you may freeze up – again. If you push through and dive in, then you often run into the next issue: I can’t launch it until it’s perfect. So you put it off yet again. It’s a never ending cycle.

So your site just sits there without going live. You don’t tell anyone about it because it’s not done. You plug away, continuing to add more items to the ever-growing list of things you need to do to make it perfect and publish worthy.

But what is done? Do we ever really arrive? Just like life, our websites are on a journey! If we expect everything to be perfect before we launch it, or we’re waiting until we’ve arrived with the most beautiful site ever, we may never launch it at all.

So how do we push past our insecurities and tendencies towards perfection and move forward in the journey? Here are a few tips to help you get started:

  1. Consider what is the goal, purpose, and driving force behind your website. Do you have a story to tell, a message to share or a product to sell?
  2. Consider who your audience is. Who are you trying to reach?
  3. Consider your mission. Why do you want to connect with them? What truths or encouragement do you hope to consistently bring to your audience?
  4. What are your long and short-term goals? Where do you see your website one, five, 10 years from now?
  5. What do you need to do to meet those goals? Outline a game plan to help you stay on track and be able to see progress in your big and small goals.

Once you achieve all your goals, and have a fantastic blog or website up and running, is that the end of the journey? Probably not. Now what? Set new goals, strive for new achievements, create new dreams and plan for the next steps in your journey in the adventure of writing! Just like life is always changing and evolving, your site will need to as well.

Always try to look forward and be ready to take the next step. Regardless of what stage you are in your website, whether it’s in the creation stage, already been launched and up and running with a list of subscribers, always be thinking about how to keep moving forward and pursuing the mission you have for the words God calls you to write.

What is one thing you can do today to take a step towards that ideal website you want to have? It is OK that you don’t have it all figured out — none of us do! Just take the next step!

A journey is always better with someone to help

Journey Websites is one of COMPEL’s Communicators Marketplace preferred vendors. They partner with writers, speakers and small business owners for all their branding and website needs and have a passion to partner with you wherever you are in your unique journey. Whether you’re just starting out, redesigning or simply freshening things up, they meet you where you are and help you navigate the road ahead.
They help you discover and portray your internal brand using your vision, goals and ideas to create a custom website that fits your ministry perfectly. Their mission is to exceed your expectations with integrity, quality, creativity, professionalism and partnership.
Journey Websites would love to partner with you on your unique journey! For more information about Journey Websites, click here.

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Comments

  1. Angela, you are so helpful with the process of taking that first step! I did exactly what you described above; waiting for the perfect site, not knowing how to make it work, and then leaving it unfinished. I’m so glad to have found you, and I’m looking forward to working together soon!