get real – Ampersand

I’m assuming if you’re reading this article, you’re also a Type A. Welcome. You’re in good company.

Let’s be real right off the bat: sometimes being Type A is hard. Sure, we’re really good at doing well in school, excelling at our jobs, achieving our goals, etc. etc. but we’re really, really bad at letting life happen & going with the flow. And while it’s good to have our strengths to help us out in most areas of our lives, if we can’t go with the flow & accept the unpredictability of life, we’re going to be miserable. No matter how organized/color-coded our planners are.

Personally, as a Type A pseudo “adult,” this go with the flow thing has really become a challenge in the real world. I want all the answers. I want to know how it all plays out. I want a plan that I can follow. I’m good at plans. Plans make me happy. But life never goes according to plan (duh).

True confession, in the past, I’ve tried to find the answers via Google. I’ve literally Googled “how to be patient,” “how to trust life/the universe,” “how to not freak out when everything isn’t going according to plan and I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing,” etc. etc. And honestly? All the articles I found were bullsh*t. They didn’t help at all. (They said things like “just let it go” and “be patient.” OKAY, SURE RIGHT. GOODBYE.) So I decided to write my own guide about how Type A’s can go with the flow (which is hilarious because of course Type A’s need a GUIDE on how to LET GO. The irony is not lost on me).

Now, this is not a comprehensive cure-all guarantee. Obviously, my experiences are very different than yours, but here are a few things I’ve learned (the hard way, mostly) & some things I’ve personally done to help myself cope with uncertainty and “let go” just a little bit. I hope it helps. If not, you can put me in the bullsh*t category with all the other Google articles ;) Enjoy.

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Real talk: I haven’t really been into blogging lately. Some time around the holidays, I just felt like I was running out of steam. All year I was really good about posting twice a week, I was excited about my content, I was enthusiastic about sharing on social media…but then all of a sudden, I started feeling a little bit blah about it. Maybe it’s a little bit of burnout or maybe it’s a lack of inspiration due to the grey winter weather (seriously, I hate the cold), but blogging isn’t really all that fun for me right now.

***BUT! Don’t worry. This isn’t me about to tell you that Ampersand is over. It’s totally not. But I always try to be honest & authentic here with you so I figured I’d let you know what’s going on. Also, I thought it would be a good opportunity to shed some light on what it’s really like being a blogger (hint: it’s not as glamorous as it seems). Of course there are some not so good parts, but there are a lot of great parts too. So read on to find out the real truth about being a blogger.

(Side note: Seriously though, thank you to all my dedicated readers who keep coming back here week after week. Even when I get frustrated with blogging, I’m really humbled that you guys read what I write & even like it!! So thank you thank you thank you. You guys are the best).