TOOK A MONTH OFF FROM SOCIAL BEFORE I LOST MY SHIT

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(Edited)

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It's been over a month since I've posted on the blockchain at my old account @joebrochin. It took so much restraint to stop writing for 30 days because I was about to lose my shit. You may have guessed this from the title of this post, but as a blogger and content creator who barely takes any breaks from producing content, it was taking its toll on me mentally.

Why I took a month off from blogging and creating content

So, what changed? Why did I decide to take a break? Well, I'll tell ya! For starters, my mental and physical health had still not recovered from previous health challenges, and I will leave it at that because, frankly, nobody wants to hear me play my violin.

I also started to take things too seriously, especially here on the Hive blockchain. I got too caught up in the bullshit and started to become too visceral about topics. Things like some people not wanting a social front end to be the face of Hive, the downvote drama, abuse of multiple accounts, auto-voting curation trails wasting rewards, perceived misuse of the HDF, etc. We can talk more about these Hive-related things in an entirely different post, but I digress for now. I will cover what actions I took and still take on other social platforms to help later in another post, at least the ones I still use.

Then there was the fact that I just wasn't happy with the content I was producing. Just blah stuff, I mean real vanilla shit, yes, it is IT-related stuff which is always kind of dry, to begin with, but still, it was blah! I wasn't putting "ME" into it.

It was the same ole' "suit and tie" conference room bullshit.

I was getting pissed off at the whole damn thing, including myself, especially myself!

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How It Felt To Be Away From My Blog And Content Creation For A While

This break was an excellent opportunity for me to take some time off and focus on other areas in my life. So, I have been working on a lot of personal development and mental health things.

I feel more mentally present and happier than I have ever felt. Working on improving myself has helped me focus my life on essential things.

It became like content creation, and this blog was just another thing that I had to do. But then, it became work, and I lost my passion for what I was doing. I love writing, and I love sharing my thoughts with people and interacting and engaging. But I just wasn't being myself when I was writing. I was afraid to be myself. I was afraid of what others, especially those in my profession, would think of my approach, language, and Rhino style if I let it out. So it was stifled and my passion with it.

I did find that I came to miss creating content, however. I missed the release of being able to write.

What I Learned About Myself And What's Important To Me During This Time

I learned that I do better with taking a break now and then. During this time, I focused on myself and my goals. It helped me to focus on what is important to me. This blog, frankly, was not one of those things. It was not the only thing in my life, and I did not feel crushed without it. Nor was the rest of social media. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, no big deal. It did not kill me.

The best part about taking a break is that when you return to something after taking time away from it, it feels like the beginning of something new. So now that I am back, I feel like going into this blog and content creation with a new perspective on what I want to write about and how I would like to write.

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The Things That Will Make Me Come Back Stronger Than Ever Before

It is the second time I have taken a break from blogging and content creation over the past few years, and both times it made me come back even stronger than before.

I learned that my blog and content creation weren't everything, and not only is it still here when I return but there will still be people to come back to and share my thoughts with.

There is the realization that blogging and content creation is something I love to do. So, it means a lot to me. I want to accomplish plenty of things in this space, and there are plenty more posts that need to be shared with you all!

The main thing that has made me return is that I love doing this. I am coming back because of all the people here who do take the time to comment and read posts and not just auto-vote for the rewards. People whom I know love to read and comment and curate on posts.

That is a huge reason that I am returning!

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My Goals For The Next Few Months Of Blogging And Content Creation

My goals for the next few months here are as follows:

  • Give away Hive rewards to those who comment and share my posts outside Hive
  • Donate Hive rewards to charity
  • To focus more on IT & Cyber Management, ITSM processes, and IT policy-related topics when posting
  • To start creating content more consistently (around twice per week across other social media, not just Hive)
  • To start working on some video posts (to supplement text posts)
  • Reward, Curate, and share more IT, Cyber, and STEM-related Hive content to other social media outlets

I hope these goals help you get a better idea of what I am most interested in writing about. These are changes that I feel will keep me motivated with my blog.

Tips For Bloggers Who Want To Take A Break But Are Afraid They'll Lose Their Readership

I don't know what to tell you here. I can assume most people are like me and afraid to break because they think they will lose their readership if they do so.

And some people might lose their readership if they take a break. But remember, it's not the end of the world if you have fewer followers when you come back from your break.

The best thing is to use this time for self-development, personal growth, and experimentation with new blogging topics and formats. This will make you more prepared to come back and grow your blog even more.

Take care of yourself first - this includes pursuing other interests and working on personal development goals in areas like health and fitness. This is important so that your body and mind are healthy and rested before you return to blogging.

Conclusion

It's the best thing you can do for yourself. You'll come back refreshed and with a new perspective on what is important to you in your life, as well as how it relates to your blog.

Bonus points if you take this time to focus on other parts of your life that need attention too!

I'm committing myself to take at least one month off from blogging and content creation every year - not only will it be good for me but also my readers who deserve so much more than just mediocre content all year long ;)

So, what are your goals on Hive? Why are you here? Why do you use social media as a whole? Do you take breaks? Do you have a "burn out story" you want to share?

Please drop it here!

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34 comments
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Congratulations @joerhino!
You raised your level and are now a Minnow!

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Thanks

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Congratulations on becoming a minnow @joerhino 🎉🎉🎉

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omg that's so cute!!!

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Congratulations on becoming a minnow @cynshineonline 🎉🎉🎉

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oh that's not for me it's for @joerhino but I haven't ever seen the minnow pic and thought it was so cute. Thank you though ❤️

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(Edited)

Oops, my bad. I was a bit too enthusiastic to reply... 😞

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I enjoy curating and when I feel like I have something to share I will write a post. I am a long time IT administrator and post about Ham Radio, Python and Raspberry Pi.

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My man @mytechtrail good to see you. Love your stuff. My youngest son (16) just received his HAM Technician License. I will let you know his call letters later when he shares them with me after he gets up.

Anyway, I am still taking sporta of a break, but will be in and out the next week or two. Good to "see" you.

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Hello @joerhino! This is @indayclara from @ocd (Original Content Decentralized) team. We saw that you already posted your first post here in Hive! Congratulations and welcome!

If you want to discover different communities which you might be interested in, you can check this out: Communities Incubation Program.
If you are looking for tips and information as a Hive newbie, click here: Newbie guide
If you need guidelines to make a mark here on the platform, check the following:
Criteria for quality posts and Ins and Outs of OCD Curation
And lastly, if you have questions or concerns, you can hop into Discord server and we'll gladly answer your questions.

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Hi, Thanks. This is a new account, but I'm not new. Much appreciate what you do though. Keep it up.

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To focus more on IT & Cyber Management, ITSM processes, and IT policy-related topics when posting

I would love to read a quality content on those topics. I think Hive should have a community focused on cyber management, cyber security, and IT. There are some existing communities already but they aren't really that active. But yeah, maybe in the future it'll be more active. Anyway, I will follow you to keep up if you're posting about IT & cyber management.

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@macchiata thanks for stopping by. I plan to post about those topics in the STEM communities; @STEMGeeks and @StemSocial. It may be a week or two before I start posting about those topics again though.

Still catching my breath.

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I initially wondered what happened to your reputation only to find out that this is a totally new account. Did you open a new account in order to actually be yourself or you've lost access to the former account? My advice would be that you keep the old account for cyber security related stuff and use this one for personal stuff, that's if you still have access to the old account.

Also, take as much break as you would need for your health. That's the ultimate.

If you are the type that loves drama and controversial stuff, you will definitely find your niche here on hive. I try to stay away from such topics as much as possible cos I'm not really the drama type. I'm from a third world country, a large percentage of my finances is hive related. I'm more than glad to read, engage, create and curate. That's what I've been doing primarily for almost 4 years now.

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So glad you stopped by the new account and were still following the old one, That is so cool of you. I opened the new account for a fresh start. It is something I felt I needed and wanted to do moving forward. It may not make sense to most, but it does to me, and I am doing me.

Hate drama, which is one of the reasons I took the break from social media and made some changes and still making changes to my accounts and methods. Yeah, I love some good debate on a post, don't get me wrong, but I don't want anything more to do with drama.

Thanks again for stopping in on my new account and commenting. Hope to see you around as I start to post more in the next week or two.

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I stay on the chain as much as I can. I am certain you will see me around quite often. Good luck in your new endeavours.

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https://twitter.com/RyzeRebels/status/1418732708210036738
The rewards earned on this comment will go directly to the person sharing the post on Twitter as long as they are registered with @poshtoken. Sign up at https://hiveposh.com.

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Ahhh you see, the first mistake you made was taking it too seriously.

Remember, "hobby money for hobby chain." Then, everything else will work out on its own in due time around here.

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(Edited)

Yeah, for sure. I actually thought I could integrate it with the website I am working on and use it for rewards to content consumers. None the less, it is far to complex to do and not worth the cost in moneies or time.

So yes, moving forward, it is nothing more than a hobby and brand awareness. Just for fun mainly. I might even make myself a pain in the ass occasionally 😀

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Props to you for doing what feels best and taking breaks when called to.

And congrats on learning things about yourself in the process! Wishing you a great fresh start, and looking forward to what's next!

I use Hive to share my teachings and help rebels #ryze as best as I'm able. (But I do this wherever I go, lol, so not sure if it qualifies.)

I rarely, possibly never, 'burn out' anymore because from tiny things to big ones, I only pursue things that I enjoy and that energize me. 🙏

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I really do appreciate the tips and advice over the month. It has helped me focus more on what I needed to, which was my health. Not doing so just kept dragging everything else down. Got a plan now and executing the plan. More to follow in future posts.

Thanks again for the assist and look forward to working with you in the future.

Also, thanks for stopping by and engaging and sharing on my post!

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My pleasure bro, glad I was of value. Not sure if you ended up watching the whole 'Health Mega-Tips' video I made --sadly banned on YouTube-- but I'm all about health, and I definitely encourage execution of any plan that increases your personal well-being. Looking forward to hearing more on it!

@cynshineonline mentioned that you and your team are implementing some ideas from the home-page mockup I made, so I deeply appreciate that you found them worth implementing, and yes, more in the future!

Thanks for the great post, and great reply! 🙏

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Yay Joe! I'm glad you took a break and I love that you're doing what feels best for you. You know Jay and I got your back and we believe in you!

Can't wait to see what you post and teach us all. I'm clueless when it comes to IT but I'm always open to learning new things. AND then I can share the new things too.

Have fun with whatever you do.

Much love,
Cyn

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