it’s okay to take a pause

In my initial blog post I mentioned how long pauses can be beneficial. I took a 2+ year break from youtube after starting my channel in 2019 and recently in October I celebrated surpassing 1000 subscribers. I still have a long way to go as a creator however the amount of intention, sacrifice, planning, editing and self assurance that I had to practice in order to get to this point was so worth it.

I’ll admit my first attempt at taking this seriously I got burned out being in different engagement groups where in one large group chat we promote our videos, watch, like, and subscribe to each others content. I wasn’t the target audience for any of those creators but deep down I felt like I couldn’t grow unless I was in one of those groups. So reaching this milestone was such a huge win for me because it was a testament to my mindset change that I was able to put into action. I can grow as a content creator solely focusing on what I can control.

In perfect timing I also finished Miss Tina’s Memoir The Matriarch this month and it was so beautiful to see that the gifts she was able to develop as a young girl through adulthood. Sewing and designing clothes, being a makeup artist in LA, and getting her cosmetology license as a young mother. It honestly took years and sometimes decades of development of those initial seeds she planted within her career and life to manifest. Ultimately, the biggest takeaway from the book reminded me that there is time, and although time away can bring feelings of guilt; especially when we feel like we aren’t living up to our potential. But that it’s okay to sit back and strategically plan, try new things, and JUST REST. There is purpose in pausing and resting. And I’m grateful that I gave myself that time because now I feel more focused than ever.