A Foray Into The World Of The Blog...

As someone who has always claimed to have too little time and ultimately be 'too busy' to blog I have given myself the 'out' and claimed blogging wasn't for me. I labelled it for the extroverts who wanted to boast about their lives and force their opinion on others. As a medium for scaredy cats too frightened to speak their view in public and instead choosing to hide behind their keyboards. Or even that it was simply a cynical method for Execs to advertise their business and appear 'open' by having their ghost written views expressed in public.....but you know what...I was wrong. 

Time Challenged - Tweeting Is The Answer?
 
If I'm time challenged perhaps I could start with 'tweeting' more - or even maybe I could get someone to type out my tweets for me ala David Cameron. But you know what - for me it misses the point.I find twitter a bore, difficult to read with comments easily taken out of context in between the mix of RTs, #'s and bitly links and from what I have experienced - my inbox get clogged with chatter that should be taking place in private rather than taking up mind space. (If Peter Jones wants to meet Theo Paphitis for drink - I'm sure they can call or text each other it has zero value being shared with the world.) Don't get me wrong it's a great medium for one way communication, advertising & awareness (this very blog was tweeted)  and in my opinion, Jack Dorsey conceived one of the most brilliantly simple ideas to have ever defined a generation. Its just that for me - it alone doesn't hit the spot or give me what I am looking for....

The Effect Of Old Mother Time?


Maybe its simply because I am getting old and I'm becoming more aware. Maybe its starting a family that makes you look around and take stock. But recently I've found myself becoming more and more reflective, interested in the views, opinions and experiences of others. I want less of the fear mongered professionally written news articles, less of the self-obssessed-famous-for-five-minutes 'celebrity' and most definitely no more of having to stomach the back-biting increasingly ineffectual politicians. I have found myself reading more biographies (still professionally written but hopefully based in some fact), I read more books on how organisations built their success, I'm more interested in the why & how things work and increasingly I'm following more and more blogs and following the journeys that people both close and far from me have taken. Personal or business it doesn't really matter to me - in today's world those lines are so blurred anyway. I'm inspired to hear about someone's achievements and how they have handled / dealt with the challenges life has thrown at them. I've come to realise that blogging is brave (in the majority) and those that do it are brave souls prepared to put their views out into a world where there is no hierarchy, no respect unless earned and where anybody can publicly place judgement and comment. I've come to realise that the reason I haven't blogged is because I personally am scared by that.....


So here I am starting to write my own blog. I am sharing this via LinkedIn, Facebook and yes - even the Twitter - not to boast, not to promote myself nor even as some kind of experiment but because I didn't want to be a hypocrite - a selfish consumer, taking from others and never giving back. I can't describe how uncomfortable it makes me feel publishing my first blog and views but as the old saying goes 'no pain - no gain.' So this is the start of it - my blog, my world and my views. Choose to ignore, choose to follow, choose to comment but please don't criticise my typo's or grammar - I'm time challenged remember.....