You know how some things just come along at the exact moment that you need them. This very thing just happened to me when my nephew came armed with an article from Psychology Today. His very clever attempt to shake me out of a very ugly funk I’ve been in lately a.k.a. my very own pity party. Party theme: Not Feeling Good Enough.
First, an excerpt:
From “I Coulda Been a Contender” by Abby Ellin [Psychology Today July/August 2010]
‘I have never written a best-selling book. I have never won a Pulitzer. I have never reported for 60 minutes, won a gold medal in gymnastics, or thanked my parents and God as Barbara Streisand handed me my Oscar for Best Actress/Writer/Director. I do not have a Ph.D. or J.D. Nor, for that matter did I spend my undergraduate years frolicking amid the ivied walls of Harvard or Yale. I have only one home, a one-bedroom in New York City, No Tuscan villa. No French chateau. No yurt in Sonoma. In sum, I am not living the life I expected–the life of say, Diane Sawyer, Julia Roberts, or better yet, Barack Obama. And this bothers me. A lot.’ Continue reading article online (full article available in print)>
Me too, Abby, Me too. With so many proclaimed experts on the loose, it’s easy to feel less than extraordinary if you don’t have a book, show, or top visited blog to prove your worth. Certainly Abby and I can’t be the only ones that feel this way from time to time. So, today I wanted to take Abby’s advice, read these tips, and change my mind-set and say, dadgumit (I love that saying), you ARE good enough. And thanks to all you readers for your comments, encouragement, shout outs and ‘likes.’ I thought it only suitable that I give a shout out to some of my fellow bloggers who serve as a constant inspiration and are more than good enough. Check em out!
PS. There’s no such thing as an overnight success!
Damsel in Dior: Jacey Dupree is an L.A. based fashion blogger, and she was the very first fashion blog that I followed regulary. We even worked for the same producer (at different times) back in the day! I have had the pleasure of meeting her, and even though we didn’t become bffs in real life (much to my dismay), I’m happy to report that she was as nice as I had hoped. I buy more recommendations from her than from any other site.
Gal Meets Glam: I think we can all agree that Julia Engel takes the cake for the best blog photos of all time. Her husband is her photographer, and it can be very hard not to feel like her life is absolutely perfect. I’m sure perfection doesn’t come easy, and she deserves major props for being able to consistantly stay true to her brand 100% of the time + creating such enviable content day after day.
In Bed With: I recently discovered Rhiannon’s Taylor’s blog, and was SO blown away by her incredible work, not to mention her genius branding. As you know, I’m such a hotel junkie, and I love that she has created such a gorgeous place to showcase her work. I think what sets her a part from other travel bloggers is that she is legitimately traveling to these places because she was hired as a photographer.
Marie Forleo: Yes, Marie is extremely well known and it sort of feels like comparing myself to Oprah, BUT…I can’t help it. I love her. I love her show Marie TV (I watch every Tuesday), and as a woman entrepreneur, she is someone I look up to so much.
Yes and Yes Blog: I don’t even remember how I first found Sarah von Bargen’s incredible blog, but there’s been no turning back. I am amazed at how she cranks out such thoughtful, helpful and engaging content regularly. From goal setting to travel hacks, I always look forward to the next post. I even hired her to do a site review for me!
Molly–thanks so much for the shout-out! Back at you.
Can’t wait to get to know these other bloggers, too (although I will say that I know Nichole from Little Brown Pen in the real world, and can back up how fabulous she is…)
Love from Brooklyn!
xo
No need for you to have a pity party, girl!!!!!!! Without settling for mediocrity, you’ve taken a small town girl to many big time places and captivated your readers with words and pictures flowing so eloquently that one could only imagine they were by your side on the entire journey!! Keep up the fantastic work, and take us along with you!!!!
What a great post Molls. Don’t we all feel that way at times. I often think about Thomas Jefferson being only 32 when he wrote the Declaration of Independance in reference to what I had done at that same age. I fell short, but dadgumit (I love it too) I have done some good things (helped make you for starters), have helped alot of people through some tough times and made alot of friends. So I keep plugging. Who knows, maybe there’s still a Declaration in me somewhere.
Great post 🙂 And while I also wrote the Declaration of Independence by the time I was 32 it was SO much easier by copying the one TJ wrote, I just added “the end”.
Always love catching up with ‘TYL’-great suggestions about the important things in life-food, travel, shop, wine, experience. Gluttony never sounded so good! You do a GREAT job!
What a great reminder. I feel like we’ve reached expert overload these days, and I am happiest when I’m reading about a little slice of someone’s life.
Thanks for including me. I am honored.
And PS: mdashing is fab – I count her as a cherished friend
I saw Caitlin’s work on a Daily Candy post. She did a painting of our two dogs (Sonja is a Samoyed, Trevor’s a Golden Retriever). She does great work!
i count u as someone with fantastic taste – someone i know i can ALWAYS get great advice and recommendations from! u are far from mediocre! love reading all your posts, and can’t wait for the next. as always, ill be taking your advice and checking out these bloggers as well….love u molls!