VOF Week 3: (Perfectionist Fear in the Blogasphere)

Challenges and Barriers to Blogging

My foremost challenge and barrier to blogging is my tendency toward perfectionism. As a nationally competitive gymnast for most of my life, the notion of perfection was driven in to my head. As aptly demonstrated by Van Jensen in the article Perfectionism Fuels Burde to Drive Gymnasts, perfectionism is the name of the game in this popular home town sport. I recall being devastated by the slightest of errors in my routines. Even if I was awarded first place, if I had made a mistake, which was inevitable unless you were someone like Svetlana Boginskaya or Dominique Dawes, it felt as if I was a complete failure.
Unfortunately, I did not shed my plague for perfectionism when I hung up my bar grips and retired from the sport. It promptly filtered in to my personal and professional lives. Now, as I tip toe into the blogasphere, I feel that creeping sense of insecurity that often accompanies perfectionism. I find myself fearful of blogging because: a) I may post something less than perfect that could be widely scrutinized by those exploring the vast blogasphere; and/or b) Drafting the blog posting my take endless hours of my time due to my perfectionist tendencies.

Solutions to these Challenges and Barriers

So how do I overcome my perfectionist fear in the blogasphere? First, I need to relax. I do not need to be perfect in every aspect of my life. In fact, some endeavors can be simply for the purpose of enjoyment or entertainment, not necessarily for professional gain. Once I embrace this reality, a lot of pressure is taken off my shoulders to craft the perfect blog posting. Second, I need to get in a routine of blogging where there is a limit to the amount of time I can spend on the posting. Through self-imposed time limits, I can keep it simple and attempt to keep my perfectionist tendencies at bay.

What else do you need to overcome these challenges in the Future?

In terms of other means to overcome my interpersonal challenges to blogging, I presume that positive feedback, an active readership, and favorable results such as networking and relationship development through my blog, would inspire me to keep doing what I am doing. I say this with the caveat that should I receive any praise for my blogging skills, well, I could start to feel that long familiar burning desire to take my blogging to the next level. To improve it, modernize it, distribute it to a wider audience, etc. Yikes—it as if I just fell off the balance beam. I might need to dust myself off and take a water break.