Posted on by Belinda O

Bragging on Myself (as we say in the South)

Five Personal Achievements —

It’s good to take stock and renew your belief in yourself. Thanks to Christina, who came up with a month’s worth of lists for her own blog, for the idea for today’s post.

Finished my book, learning all kinds of things about Adobe Creative Cloud software in the process.

open-book-simplicity-icon_fk8KRpU_ [Converted]This book isn’t currently available, but the point was to finish what had started out as an offhand comment.  It also gave me a sense of accomplishment at a time when I was feeling lost and alone. As a side benefit, it made a friend of mine laugh during some of her darkest hours.

Went back to college after dropping out the first time and finished with my bachelor’s in journalism.

I’ve written about this before, and I don’t recommend dropping out of college. In my situation, however, I was burned out and likely would have failed at least some of the courses ahead of me had I stayed during my first time in college. There were numerous other factors that led those closest to me to agree it was my best course of action at the time, and I never doubted I’d go back to school when the time was right.

Became an expert knitter.

skein of yarn and needles c mtzsv smI’ve been knitting so long I forget that it’s an accomplishment, but this is a skill I have I can use for myself, gifts for friends and family, and charitable giving. It led to the next achievement…

Designed numerous knitting projects, including some available for sale.

Kims Slippers red rose IIOne of my favorite patterns I never fully wrote out, and I doubt I’d ever make it again. It was a cardigan for my niece and I learned a valuable lesson (knitters will understand this): don’t design a pattern too heavy with cable designs. It takes up way too much yarn.

I also saw a pair of hand-knit slippers once that I really liked, and someone challenged me to try to figure out the pattern. What I came up with looked nothing like that original pair, but I’ve made dozens of these slippers for myself and others, and sold quite a few patterns to boot.

Developed and maintained this blog for more than a year.

AdobeStock_74229029 [Converted]Those of you who’ve been with me since the beginning (thank you!) have seen how this site has evolved and even produced a “spin-off,” my new blog for my reviews of classic films. It’s been a process, from designing the header to figuring out what to write, even changing the domain name. I can’t imagine life without writing, nor, at this point, without my blogging buddies.

Image Credits: (graduation) © carballo – Fotolia; (woman typing) © RetroClipArt — Fotolia; (skein of yarn) © mtzsv — Fotolia; (book) © GraphicStock.

16 Replies to “Bragging on Myself (as we say in the South)”

  1. Well done, Belinda! Especially for getting your degree, and for consistently maintaining your blog. I, too, got a college degree after a long drop-out (nine years), and then was the “old guy” in the classroom, sometimes even older than the professor (and oddly, I saw another blog today about going back to school, so I am realizing I’m telling the same story again here, but so be it). A degree has a value far beyond the paper on the wall or the job you may (or not) get; the knowledge about your subject, and even more, the knowledge about yourself, will carry you forward whatever jobs or professional accolades you earn. And as a newer blogger (just since November), I am continually challenged to stick with it and keep writing and posting, so I know how hard it is to do regularly, consistently, and properly. I enjoy your blog (and “Classic for a Reason”), so thank you for the work that you put into it – it shows!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. What great accomplishments! So happy for you! You are very inspiring to me and others. Can’t wait to see what else you gave up your sleeve!😃

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  9. I got burned out during college as well, and ended up dropping out (unfortunately, not before failing some classes). I agree .. I don’t recommend dropping out, but it’s what I needed to do at the time. I should be going back to school soon, though!
    Great accomplishments! It’s nice to “brag on ourselves” every now and then 😉

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

I'd love to hear from you!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.