Nobody wants to read what I write.

So it’s here. Starting now. Post number one, and the first of many more to come. (Sounds a little poetic, doesn’t it?!)

The Jungle Bubble has been a long time project of mine. It’s something that I set up more than five years ago and has been niggling in my insides waiting for something to happen. I’m not new to writing or blogging, nor website development. I’ve been doing it since I was a teenager, so in theory it should be easy, right?

The name came first. I bought the domain. Setup the Instagram handle and entered the tagline “What makes you happy and what makes you grateful.” A few posts for a little while. And then… NOTHING. For years. …And years. …And years.

Why?

What I was lacking was confidence. And fear. SO MUCH FEAR.

Every so often people would ask me the question, “So what is The Jungle Bubble?”

I would try to articulate the exploding rainbow of thoughts spinning around in my head like a mouse on a wheel. Perhaps not quite knowing how or what to say. Perhaps trying to justify myself.

I had so many thoughts in my head, things I wanted to say, things I wanted to share. I started writing them down. I stopped. I started again. I stopped, started, stopped… and so the circle of procrastination goes on. And then there’s the fear…

Nobody wants to read what I write. Why would anyone care about what I write? Why would anyone care about your normal and boring life? You’re not an important enough person. You don’t have a high profile. You’re not the only mum that wants a career and wants to write a blog. You don’t have enough to write about. You’re posts aren’t long enough. What will people think of me? You’re not a writer. Are people going to be disappointed in me?

Fear is vicious. It eats into your mind, body and soul. And this viciousness was rolling around in the other parts of my life as well. A tornado moving through me leaving a path of destruction on the inside and out.

Fear is not a great trait to have. And it’s certainly not unique. We all experience it. Is anyone ever truly 100% confident and 100% fearless in their own self? How do we break past the barrier?

In my case, I knew and wanted to break past it. I have an amazing partner who helped me. I had counselling, which I cannot recommend enough. And as part of the whole process, I learned about myself. I better understood my barriers and blockers. I learned to ask for help… and got help. I learned ‘perfect’ isn’t real. I uncluttered my mind. I uncluttered my soul. It’s not easy, but you can do it.

GROWING.

The way I see it, there’s four basic steps to breaking down the wall when you’re stuck.

One. Don’t let it go.

YOU need to make it happen.

Two. Work on yourself.

You’re the only blocker in this scenario. You’re setting the timeframe and the only constraint is yourself. You know how to do this. You’ve done it for years. Don’t be afraid.

In the words of Stevie Nicks… “time makes you bolder.”

Three. Write something.

In the words of Stevie Nicks… “time makes you bolder.” I experienced something in my life and decided to write about it. I found some courage and submitted my story to Mamamia. Then it was published – albeit, anonymously (more on that later) – but actually, for-real-life, on the internet and social channels published. Just one article, but I can say I’m a published AND paid author.

And the result of that one article – my confidence grew.

Four. Get off you arse and do something about it.

So here we are.

I talked about leaps when I announced to the ‘LinkedIn world’ that I was working on this project. I made the leap to put myself out there, to make myself accountable. To say OUT LOUD that I was doing it – my project, a piece of myself. Then, in another turn of events, I found a sign during a session with my mentor. That sign was taking the time to reflect on what you are grateful for and what makes you happy. Sound familiar? It seems like my path was already there and now I’m taking the time to walk down it.

I read many years ago that it doesn’t matter the distance or how fast you go, if you take the time to go out and run, then you’re a runner. I may not be a journalist, I may not be a novellist, I may not be perfectly constructed and there’s probably even typos – but by taking the time to write this and what’s to come, I am a writer.

You’re still wondering, what is The Jungle Bubble? The answer is, it doesn’t have to be anything. It’s just a name. A little bit quirky, a little bit of me. It will (hopefully) give you something to ponder or some enjoyment. Life’s too short for everything to be so serious.

This first post is about me. A part of my journey. There’s a sense of self-achievement. I’ve kicked a goal. Brick by brick, that fear barrier is coming down.

The final question is, does somebody want to read this? Well, I guess if you’ve got this far, the answer is yes.