Nine Reasons I Should Definitely NOT Start a Blog

One of my New Year’s Resolutions for 2013 was to (re)start a blog. Yes, 2013 as in 4 years ago year. For longer than my toddler has been alive, I’ve been talking myself out of writing a blog for what I think are some pretty good reasons.

1. I do not have time to blog. I have a job, a never-quite-clean house and a family that consists of a husband, two very busy children, and two cats who all want to eat EVERY day. Who has time for writing?
2. I have no idea what I am doing. While my more forward-thinking friends were taking an HTML code class in high school, I was taking journalism study hall (a class that was literally made up just for me).  Trying to figure out how to do anything besides add words to a blog makes me sweat.
3. Sometimes I get excited about new things and then don’t finish them. Rarely. Occasionally. Actually, it was probably just once… a week.
4. I never want to say the phrase “I didn’t know how much I would need this blog.” There’s a superstitious (or perhaps just pessimistic) part of me that feels like this could just be inviting trouble. Isn’t that just tempting fate to send me something horrible my way so that I’ll have to write about it to process it & be whole? Am I the only one who thinks these things?
5. No one will read it anyway. Why would they? There are a million blogs out there already. I’m not famous or an expert in anything in particular. The thought of pushing “publish”on a post and then having nobody comment or even read it is depressing. Wouldn’t it be better to just get a notebook and start a diary?
6. Wait, what if they DO read it? This is possibly even more horrifying. What if I write down my thoughts and musings and people actually READ them? Am I really ready to put myself out there like that?
7. Because seriously, Internet people are mean. We all know by now that trolls aren’t just creepy 80s toys. They lurk on the Web to say horrible, hateful things to people. Even mostly-civilized people, even people we know and usually like, have a tendency to say unnecessarily harsh and mean things when they can hide behind the shield of the Internet.
8. People will judge me. Anyone could read this blog–my family, my friends, my acquaintances, possibly even people I’ve never met. Letting other people read my writing is an act of vulnerability. No matter what I say, it is very likely some people who read it will disagree with my thoughts, opinions, faith, or decisions. People who I respect and care about may be disappointed, frustrated or angry with me because of what I write. This is a sobering thought.
9. Did I mention vulnerability is hard?  I’m admittedly not great at it. I am a Six on the Enneagram and have trust issues. But I absolutely believe Brene Brown when she says that “Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity.” I want these things in my life. Will vulnerability be easier or harder on the Internet? I have no idea. I guess we will find out.