5 Things I Learned In 5 Years Of Mommy Diary

To be exact, I’ve been blogging for longer than 5 years. I actually began blogging publicly on a platform called Xanga when the word “weblogs” became a thing. Then I had a blog called “The Gratitude Tree” in which I jotted down all things I was grateful for to heal myself from postpartum depression. This was more than 10 years ago. As an avid reader and prolific diarist since a kid, blogging was a natural creative outlet for me during my angsty college days to isolated postpartum days.

5 Things I Learned In 5 Years Of Mommy Diary

Sometimes I wonder where Mommy Diary would be if I started blogging sooner like when I first became a mom over 14 years ago, or when I found out I was pregnant with my second child a little over a year later. I wonder if my blog would be more successful or if my audience would be even larger.

But deep down, I know I needed the hiatus from blogging and defining myself as a blogger because when combined with motherhood, blogging can suck the life out of you. Yes unfortunately it can. And you might not be able to do all the things you want to do for your kids or for work if you began blogging sooner.

So this leads to my first point….

1) The perfect time to begin is now

If you’re like me, you might find yourself thinking it’s too late to do something. I know I’m guilty of this and often think “only if I started sooner”. But nothing can be further from the truth and we are actually a lot younger and capable than we think.

If there’s something you always wanted to try, whether it’s taking up a new hobby, enrolling in a class or program or starting a new blog or business NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME.

There was a time when I thought it was too late to start blogging while watching all the first generation bloggers like Dooce.com killing the game with a million page views a day. I mean seriously, how will I ever get to that point? During this time I never thought platforms like Instagram can open doors to sponsorship opportunities and search engines like Pinterest can bring in traffic views. In short, I was wrong and I began blogging at the perfect time for ME.

Many spiritual teachers have said that if there’s a desire to do something, THAT is what you were meant to do. I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment.

Don’t delay yourself even further by overthinking it. The perfect time to begin is now.

2) “I’m not a further and faster person, I’m a slower closer person”

This brilliant quote was my greatest takeaway during Brené Brown’s talk at Mom2Summit last week. Living in this era of social media, it’s near impossible not to compare our lives with others when other’s highlight reel unfolds right before our eyes every minute of the day. This is our new normal, and frankly our new normal seems kind of crazy.

Once I became more aligned to my soul purpose, I learned that true success doesn’t come from some arbitrary title or income. I heard this before but now I truly KNOW this.

I KNOW this because I’m truly fulfilled and happy today without some fancy title or huge income. I’ll continue to work hard and set + meet new goals but my purpose is much greater than these outward things. I truly get it now.

Instead of going further faster, I want to remain closer to myself and my community even if it takes longer. The beauty and purpose is in the journey not the destination. That’s because if my destination is made up of fame and numbers, I would reach that goal and still remain empty.

I don’t want to be a famous & rich empty person, I want to be a loving, generous and fulfilled person.

Today I’m truly grateful my blogging journey allowed me to learn this very valuable lesson.

3) Introverts can make a difference too

I never defined myself as an introvert until I realized I was different than others, especially as a mom. Unlike my mom friends who were always going out with their kids to playgroups, music classes and other social activities, I was content with staying home for days in my pajamas. I would occasionally have the urge to go out and hang out with friends, but once was usually enough. Soon I’ll be back in my safe haven aka home for another 4-5 days without a problem. My favorite pastime activities are reading, writing, photography and yoga. And I can do all these things at or around my home, at my own pace.

I’m also pretty shy, although you may never know this when you meet me in person. I dislike small talk and meaningless gatherings. I’d rather be at home reading a good book than to create another shallow relationship and network for opportunities. I love honest and genuine conversations but once I find that it’s going nowhere, I can become that awkward silent person.

All these qualities seem to go against what bloggers and “influencers” do- and at times I feel like I’m not cut out to do this for a living. Most successful content creators are charming, good-looking, showy, and love the attention they get from their audience. I, on the other hand, cringe at the attention. So how am I doing this for a living?

I blog because I know my voice matters.

There are 7.5 billion people in the world and half of them are introverts, which means the world needs our stories too.

Introverts can make a difference too- and a friend told me that introverts often make the best bloggers because we are apt at expressing ourselves through creativity and writing. So if you’re an introverted person who wants to start blogging don’t let your nature stop you.

The world needs our voices too.

4) You can be humble AND proudly speak of your work (and worth)

I was never taught the difference between being humble and knowing one’s self-worth. Growing up in an Asian family where modesty, responsibility and filial duty sit at the top of the priority list, I was indirectly taught that talking about oneself was a negative trait. So I became that person who praises everyone around me but myself. Who wrongly believes that everyone else can do what I do. If I can do it, then anyone can, right?

WRONG.

Thanks to other badass women in the creative community, I learned that it takes great skills, talent, perseverance and knowledge to run one’s own business and become one’s own boss. I mean I always knew this–my problem was that I was keeping this acknowledgment away from myself in false humility.

So whatever you’re doing right now in your current life in work or motherhood (or both), you are a badass and you can proudly speak of your work and worth too. You don’t need anyone’s permission to do this, the only person you need to think about is YOU.

Please don’t be like me and take another 5 years to know this. You are doing fantastic and what you’re doing matters. Now feel free to speak of your accomplishments and don’t be sorry–because such confidence is necessary if you want to move onto that next level.

5) The Universe always provides what’s meant to be yours

I spent my entire childhood and adolescent years praying to God every night on my knees. I always began my prayer with a “thank you” and ended my prayer with “I love you”. In retrospect, the wisdom of this young girl still amazes me. I mean, no one taught her that “thank you” and “I love you” are the simplest, purest and most effective forms of prayer. She just knew intuitively.

Today I no longer pray on my knees.

Instead, I pray every day all day, the moment I open my eyes, when I’m brushing my teeth, when I’m driving, working, writing, scouting out locations for photoshoots, etc. you get the flow. I turned my entire day into a form of prayer. My daily goal is not to make X amount of money but to raise my vibrations so when God The Universe is ready to send me something amazing, I’m ready to receive it.

Now that I see the world from a place of abundance (i.e. the universe has ALL THE THINGS we need and will PROVIDE) rather than a place of lack (i.e. I must take this from her and that from him so I can have more), I truly know what it means to be “in flow” with the divine. And it’s magical.

Today I’m fortunate enough with plenty of jobs as a blogger without desperately seeking and searching. My husband and children aren’t always perfect but I’m able to see God’s perfect love in each and every one of them. Some days are really rough. But I’m able to fall asleep at night with gratitude in my heart most of the time.

Looking back, starting this blog was the best decision I made for myself. Thank you for being here and being a part of the journey. I hope you will stay with me for a long time because this is only the beginning for you and me. 😉