Today I’m talking about how to handle when people you’d rather not be privy to your personal thoughts are reading your online writing.
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Question:
I’ve been writing blog articles for SheKnows.com and my own blog for more than a year. I’ve become more and more vulnerable in what I put out there. I’ll write about something hard, something embarrassing, and then think, Well, I don’t have to hide that any longer.
Obviously, my blog is open and anyone can read it. Thanks to Google Analytics, I’m now getting statistics showing who’s reading my blog. Because of the search terms they use and the location of the visitors, I’m 99.99 percent certain that someone who reads my blog is someone I cringe thinking about (someone from more than a decade ago), who now has access to my thoughts and life.
That’s stopped me from writing any posts, and I’m thinking of taking down my blog.
How do I get past this? I loved writing my blog.
Answer:
You’re letting this person into your mind.
Don’t. It’s your mind. You’re the owner and the landlord; don’t let someone from your past rent space there.
That you’d let this past person block you from the writing that feeds your soul says you’re letting him control you at a deep level by attacking your own sense of self. As I wrote in Beating the Workplace Bully, “If you couldn’t let another person stomp on your foot or physically slam you off balance, don’t let a bully stomp on your spirit, or bump into and push you over inside your head.”
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Think back to that thought you had when you first started letting your writing fly: I don’t have to hide that any more. Let yourself be bold and let your blog shine with your truth. Let each post say, “This is my life. I’m proud. I’ve earned where I’ve gotten to and what I’ve created. I’m telling my story so others can grow.”
You can build your mental Kevlar by looking at your last dozen blog entries. What do they say about you? That you’re real, genuine and insightful? If so, we need your voice out there, connecting with others.
Here’s what’s been happening as you’ve written your blog: You’ve developed the courage to express who you are, what you’ve seen and where you’re going. You’ve expanded your comfort zone. Now, having learned this person reads you, you face a new contest. Embrace the challenge. And, remember, you own the blog and can block him as a guest. But more importantly, don’t let him block you.
© 2016, Lynne Curry. If you have a career questions you’d like Lynne to answer, write her @ [email protected]. Lynne is an executive coach and author of Solutions and Beating the Workplace Bully, AMACOM. You can follow Lynne through her other posts on sheknows.com, via www.workplacecoachblog.com, www.bullywhisperer.com™ or @lynnecurry10 on Twitter.
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