While I’m certainly no Luddite and definitely embrace technologies of all kinds, I’ve never been one to put myself out there in the online social media world. Sure, like many good people, I have an outdated, practically abandoned Linked In profile desperately in need of updating, but Tic Toc and my own YouTube channel are completely off the table for me. And if I’m to be honest here about the reasons why, I would have to admit it’s mostly because the words dancer and photogenic have never been used to describe me in any context whatsoever.
So, what about the old standbys, the online platforms that everybody who’s anybody is on? So far, I’ve never joined Facebook or Twitter, or ever really wanted to, mainly out of concern about the time they would take away from other things, and, in keeping with our honesty theme here, it’s also because I’m ambivalent about what people eat for breakfast and know I would struggle to digest their political views while eating mine.
At the same time, I’m not unaware of the many personal and professional benefits these platforms can and do offer, and it goes without saying that every business, and every writer, needs a web presence. In response to those imperatives, and after months of capitulating, soul-searching, and positive self-talk, I’ve finally managed to launch this website, Terry Shamblin Writes, and, with this inaugural post, I’m pleased to introduce its accompanying blog, Shamblin’s Ramblin’s.
I have to ask myself, Can social media be far behind?
Some might wonder why, after all these years of media anonymity, am I finally putting myself out there now, so here’s a countdown of the top five reasons I decided to start this website.
#5 Promote: In his updated and expanded book, Launch: How to Sell Almost Anything Online, Build a Business You Love, and Live the Life of Your Dreams (Hay House, 2021), Jeff Walker writes, “[T]he bottom line is that publishing on social media is a great way to grow your following and your positioning as a leader in your market” (p. 184). Everyone knows this, even me, so, despite my trepidation and years’ long refusal to splash even the tiniest drop of my life out there publicly or privately, I’m finally dipping my toes into the online ocean, starting with this blog and moving on to eventually, inevitably, wade deeper into the web’s waters from there.
#4 Progress: I’m never going to learn what I need to know about managing a business, running a website, and promoting my services through email and social media if I don’t jump in and do these things, even if I make mistakes along the way. I say I believe in a growth mindset and I say I’m no longer a perfectionist, so this is my chance to walk that talk. I’m grateful for the support and patience of all who join me on this journey.
#3 Provide: No matter how good my writing is and no matter how much I love doing it, no one is going to knock on my door and ask me to write for them if they don’t know I exist. So, here I am, world. In reading my work, I’m hopeful you’ll find a nugget or two to make your day better. Maybe you’ll even decide my services could make your business better.
#2 Promise: I tell my students that by sharing stories, experiences, information and insights, their words have the power to make people smile, laugh, think, feel, or act. I want to do more than pay lip service to that core belief and instead spend more time meaningfully connecting with my audiences in the hopes of affecting positive change in multiple areas of their lives. Because of that broad goal, I’ve decided not to specialize or back myself into a specific niche right now. Rather, I’m going to start out as a generalist and, as cheesy as it may sound, do what Joseph Campbell urged over forty years ago and follow my bliss. I truly believe I can find my following by helping others find and then follow what brings them a joyful, blissful life, the same way writing does for me.
#1 Practice: This website and blog represent great opportunities to experiment, to find approaches and content that resonate with readers, and to continuously hone my craft. I plan to revise and refine my processes and content, hopeful they benefit each reader in tangible and intangible ways.
Currently, I intend to move forward with Shamblin’s Ramblin’s by providing three eclectic kinds of offerings:
Words about Words: a word, its definition, and maybe a sentence or two that uses or discusses it.
Wise Words: a lesson learned, a life hack, a piece of unsolicited advice, or approaches to writing well, living joyfully, or moving ourselves forward.
Wild and Wonderful Words: an original piece of my own creative writing–fiction, humor, poetry, creative non-fiction, and more.
Thank you for reading this first blog post. Now, go out and pursue your passions! Do something that scares you! In solidarity with those of you planning to implement these marching orders, I commit to putting myself out there by joining Facebook before my next blog post and by sharing a personal piece of writing that in the past would’ve remained forever private.
Terry Shamblin Writes 