Sarah Carrig

I am definitely updating this blog because I am about to attend #SMMW20.

Please, tell me I am not the only one out there who made an effort to update their professional online presence specifically because of an upcoming networking event. It can’t just be me who cringed at the thought of exchanging info with hundreds of fascinating people and sending them to a personal website that hasn’t had a blog post in almost a year. Right?

If your website isn’t up to date, no judgement from me, friend.

Your career is keeping you busy. You have relationships or family to keep up with. Heck, maybe you’ve just had writer’s block or needed a break from creating personal content (it happens to the best of us!). But none of those things mean that you’re any less valuable as a worker or a creative. An inactive website doesn’t mean that you’re uninteresting or unmotivated. It just means you’ve had other priorities lately – and that’s OK!

Here are 5 things I’ve been doing instead of creating blog content:

1.) Counseling classes.

People tell me I am easy to talk to and frequently come to me for advice. As soon as I was presented with the opportunity to take a class in counseling, I jumped on it. Might as well improve upon this gift – that way I can be even more helpful to those who come to me! Plus, I’ve always been interested in learning how people think. Personally, I’d recommend that ANYONE take a counselor training course, even if they don’t want to become a counselor. It’s an amazing place to gain better communication skills, listening ability, and emotional/physical self-awareness.

2.) Exploring history.

My boyfriend is SUPER passionate and excited about history, so we visit any historic landmark we discover near us. It’s a ton of fun, and educational too! I feel like I could have loved history a lot more in high school if I had learned it the way I am learning it with him. Favorite stop so far? Colonial Williamsburg!

3.) Learning to write in cursive.

My friend, Peter Fletcher, collects fountain pens and recently gifted me with one. It’s so much fun to write with, but writing manuscript with a fountain pen just felt wrong. So, I am re-learning cursive! I am a lot more patient towards learning it now than I was in the second grade. Just goes to show you, it’s never too late to learn/get better at something, even if it’s something you gave up on years earlier!

Side note: Peter is more notably a classical guitarist. Click his name above to check out his music. It is quite lovely.

4.) Serving as a co-leader at a youth group.

This has been one of the best things I’ve ever done. Teenagers can be so fun, and the ones in our group are so open to deep discussions. I love them, and I feel like I often learn as much being a part of their group as they do, if not more. Plus, it’s hilarious to watch their faces when they find out I am a solid decade or more older than them. I still look like a teenager myself, and take full advantage of their willingness to let me into their hangout circles! It means I get to feel young, yet also be there for them to offer good advice when they need it.

5.) Teaching myself to appreciate down-time (and identifying when I need it).

I always have an activity to do, a project to complete, a place to go, or a person to see. But after many occasions where I’ve run myself into the ground, I’ve also grown to realize the value of a restful evening or weekend at home (and unplugged!).

What have you been doing instead of curating your online profiles?

Drop a comment below with your top 5! Whether it’s tales of grand adventure, learning new things, taking care of your family, trying to stay healthy, or even just binge-watching your favorite streaming service, I’d love to hear about it 🙂