I figured I should share some of my experiences with trying to start my own magazine. Well it is midnight and I am up working on the magazine. You find out how much you really love something when you have juggle it with reality. In a perfect world, I would be waking up at 7 a.m. working out and working on the magazine until I went to my job at an elementary school.
In reality, I wake up at 10:30 get ready for work, attempt to eat some form of breakfast and head out to work with no time to work on the magazine. So I find myself here at midnight trying to create something that I can be proud of. I figured I should document my experience if not for anyone else at least for me.
So here are the lessons that I have learned now that I am working on the third issue of
Worthy Magazine.
1. The power of stress
----I may have mentioned it on the blog before, but stress is some serious stuff. I don't know if I am one of the unfortunate ones. But when I get stressed, I get very sick. I have been having like really bad headaches and colds. Between that and work and still trying to do the magazine, I know that I must really love it. Lesson: Take time out for yourself. Trust that the stressful situation will pass. You will make it.
2. The power of asking
---If it wasn't for my family and friends who don't mind helping out, I have no idea where the magazine would be. Maybe coming out every other month. My beau has been an amazing support system and my mom has been the one to believe in me doing this all along. My bro has written more articles than I can count!!! My friends have contributed and promoted the mag in a way that means more to me than I can say.
3. Just jump in
--The one thing I am finding is that you just have to jump in. Planning is all well and good, and I like to plan out things before I do them. However,
Worthy really got started because I just had a message that I thought needed to be shared with others, and I wanted to make sure it happened. I didn't get to do the research that I wanted to do and I certainly didn't get to create a road map for where I wanted it to be. I did make sure no one else had the same name!!! LOL. I think that it is a good thing that I didn't get to create that road map. The magazine manages to keep surprising me. Also I never learned how to do layout. So I had to just feel my way through it and I can honestly say, I think that makes the process that much more fulfilling when I see how things come together.
4. Focus
---Don't get distracted. I get distracted so easily it is sad. The potential negative comments or the lack of support can not deter you. I have actually been surprised at how well the issues have been doing-even with me having to take down the first issue of laughter to add some things in. However there are still people who may not know how serious I am about the magazine, and you get the occasional viewing of the magazine as if this is a hobby for me when I am not working with third graders, but this magazine is my heart. I hope that people can grasp at and hold on to the message that I am trying to convey.
We are all worthy. Our futures are bright and despite what others might have told us about ourselves, we determine our own fate by choosing to give up or keep pushing.
So I hope that this encourages you some how. Keep pushing. You are worthy!!
