I've got a bit of a froe...

Perfectionism.

A characteristic trait that can either be friend or foe. In my case? It's become my "froe".

photo: j'Adore JCrew

Hey! Remember me? For those of you who do, to say it's been a while is an understatement! I won't go on and on about the reasons for being MIA -- I'll just list them (another list, duh): work, a little vacation, work, work, and (probably most of all) my perfectionism.

A while ago I mentioned that I have trouble making decisions, an issue that has stemmed from a fear of failing. I tend to avoid starting things or trying certain things because I feel as though I'm going to do it wrong or mess it up. It's not going to be perfect. No one's going to like it. I guess that fear has carried over into blogging.

When I look towards the future, I can see myself maintaining a successful blog (better yet, a full-functioning website). I see myself turning a love for writing and sharing things into a brand and business of my own. I can see all of these things that make me really happy inside, but I inch back whenever it comes to turning those sights into realities. I think a lot of it comes from a tendency to compare myself to others. This happens all too often here in the blog-world. I'm surrounded by all of these amazing blogs that I look up to and that have inspired me. All I can think about, however, is that mine will never be as good. It leaves me feeling stuck.

Is there such thing as "perfect"?

That brings me to where I am today. Stuck. Unsure of how to get myself out of the mental block that I've put myself in. Paralyzed by my froe -- on the one hand, perfectionism can send my blog down a path of success by creating really great, inspiring pieces. The other side of it (the more weighted side) is the never-ending need to fix a word here, tweak the layout there. I won't let myself finish or officially release it. There's still something missing that could make it even better!

Recently I started taking one of the eCourses A Beautiful Mess offers in order to help myself properly develop and nurture my blog. So far it's been going well and I'm looking forward to continuing with the process and learning so many of the tips 'n' tricks used by the inspirational creators of A Beautiful Mess. As I'm going through the lessons and finding out how to build my blog from ground up, I find myself stuck at the very starting point. A name.

What's in a name? In my mind it all starts with the name. Although we are taught not to judge a book by its cover, we all do it. It's how the world works. People are drawn to something based on the way it looks, the first impression it gives off. For a blog, that first thing people see or think about is the name. Did you read that last post on CoolBlogName? You HAVE to check out SomethingCatchy!  Yes, the content of the blog contributes to it, but having a catchy, roll-off-the-tongue name allows readers to easily remember you AND pass your blog onto others.

All of the pressure to create the perfect name has, undoubtedly, left me in a mind-block. Part of me wants to wait until I find the right name so I can establish my brand, yet I don't want to continue my many month hiatus. However, choosing something just to have a name makes me worried that I'll pick something I may get sick of or that won't be catchy enough. Are you starting to understand the mini battles that go on in my head?

Well that's where I'm at. That's what has kept me away for so long, but hopefully not anymore! I'm determined to move forward and get passed this froe! I guess we'll just have to see :)

Do you have any froe's of your own? Have you overcome any?