The REAL Reason I Chose to Blog

By Tara M Martin

Jul 11

Why Blog? Who will read my posts? What makes me think my ideas might be of value?

In all honesty, I had a private Twitter account and mooched ideas from others while never contributing for about a year now. However, a couple of months ago my “fixed Twitter-mindset” was changed upon meeting George Couros when he came to Olathe, Kansas. He was the keynote speaker and shared The Innovator’s Mindset with us. Following his keynote presentation, he led a collaborative session titled Digital Footstep. During the discussion, I decided it’s time to give back. George has a way of helping others believe that educators should unite and share ideas to help shape education today. 

It makes perfect sense, right? I mean we have this fantastic platform at our fingertips, and it just seems plain foolish to not fully partake of this opportunity. Needless to say, his persuasion is incredibly infectious and yes I made my Twitter account public before leaving that session and updated the profile description. The ripple effect of George’s influence did not stop there. In June, I had the privilege of actually meeting him at Ipadpalooza and once again was challenged by his influential personality to take this global sharing to a whole new level. After much coaching and technical help from George Couros himself, I’m excited to launch my first post today on my website.

After forcing my mind to overcome the “what ifs,” I asked myself, what is it that I love most about my favorite authors? The solution is quite simple. I say it all of the time. They are REAL! In my opinion, “Being REAL” is a compliment worthy of high value. So, I decided to call my blog REAL and of course to make it educator-official, I made an acronym.

 

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R.

Relatable and Reflective

As I was reading Austin Kleon’s book Show Your Work, I immediately was able to relate to his artwork and writing style. It was as if we were having a live conversation. At the onset, he claimed,

“The world is changing at such a rapid rate that it’s turning us all into amateurs. Even for professionals, the best way to flourish is to retain an amateur’s spirit and embrace uncertainty and the unknown.”

As I reflected on this notion, Austin couldn’t be more right. I thought–I can do that! I can retain an amateur’s spirit and embrace the unknown. That precisely describes what I am experiencing right now by jumping into blog writing. Kleon along with many of my educator contacts have a relatable personality with a reflective lens. 

The R in REAL is a biggie. I strive to build relationships by sharing reflections. I want those I come in contact with (personally or virtually) to know that I am relatable and am always reaching to attain new levels of personal and professional growth by reflecting on and tweaking my practices.

E.

Empathetic – Expose Vulnerability

I would venture to say that exposing vulnerability may have been the most haunting “what if” that I had to overcome when considering this leap of blog writing. I finally decided to listen to the writers who have influenced me.

“Forget about being an expert or a professional, and wear your amateurism (your heart, your love) on your sleeve. Share what you love, and the people who love the same thing will find you.”

Austin Kleon

Dave Burgess says it like this in his book Teach Like a Pirate,

“…any endeavor that doesn’t hold the possibility of failure can’t accomplish anything meaningful.” He later says, “be encouraged to push the edge and reach new heights. Just bring lots of bandages for the knees you are going to scrape along the way.” 

Dave also shared the below image with me along with this link to his The Critical Importance of #127. If you are worried about exposing your vulnerability, check out this link. Dave is quite the encourager and motivator. Thank you, Dave, for coaching the coach. 

By exposing vulnerability, I can anticipate the possibility of criticism but still view each experience as a learning opportunity. There are certainly parts of my life I’d never reveal publicly, but on this blog, I will be sharing some raw spots and allowing others to see my REAL humanism.

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A.

Approachable and share Applicable Ideas

Being approachable and sharing ideas that are applicable is what educators want–at least most that I’ve met. There is nothing more exciting than meeting a VIP and realizing they are completely approachable. I felt this way with George Couros. He was totally fine with me stopping him in the parking lot to take a selfie. Later, he even offered to walk me through setting up my WordPress blog page via FaceTime. After getting over my author-struck state of mind, I realized…this guy is just REAL! He may be a public figure to many, but at the core, he is a leader desiring to share ideas with others and help them reach their full potential.

 I try to model approachability and sharing applicable ideas in my everyday living. One can expect to see these reflections on my blog. Thank you, George and Dave, for reminding me that the VIP status hasn’t tainted your REALness and ability to be approachable. I am ever grateful.

L.

Lessons Learned Revealed

How many times have you learned from someone else’s mistakes? Revealing lessons learned might save someone else the heartache you had to overcome. Time and experience can be incredible teachers! As an instructional coach, educational leader and mom, I have often found myself modeling this characteristic. Sharing lessons learned is a powerful tool for building trust and fostering sustainable relationships. In life, I’ve observed that most people want to know they are NOT alone and are willing to learn from the mistakes of others. Sharing lessons learned will occur on this blog–it’s a valuable characteristic of being REAL.

 

Writing the blog REAL is an outlet for me to pay it forward by sharing ideas, influences, lessons learned and exposing a little vulnerability while encouraging others to maximize their “REAL” potential, as well.

So, be REAL! It’s easy to do. Be YOU. 

 

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About the Author

I am an educator who values the individuality and uniqueness of others. Writing the blog R.E.A.L. is an outlet for me to pay it forward by sharing ideas, influences, lessons learned and exposing a little vulnerability while encouraging others to maximize their R.E.A.L. potential, as well.

@DiggsHill

Wow!! This blog post was awesome! I love your use of REAL, very teachery 🙂 . I am an educator as well. I have had the itch to blog, but I haven’t tried it yet. (I’m a little scared.) You have inspired me to give it a try!

    Tara M Martin

    @DiggsHill Thank you so much for the comment. Dive in. The set up of the blog is a little challenging, but writing is a piece of cake. If you need any help, I can offer my amateur tips and lessons learned thus far. Go for it! WE would all benefit from hearing your ideas and thoughts. Keep me posted when you launch and post. I’d love to check it out.

      Sheila Diggs Hill

      Thanks for the encouragement Tara!

Therese Brink Edgecomb

Tara, you always AMAZE me! I loved reading this blog – it was truly inspiring!!!

    Tara M Martin

    Therese, you’re the best colleague a girl can ask for–always in my corner. Let’s meet for coffee and chat about how blogging can be used as a digital profile. P.S. I will greatly miss you at LPS this year.

Stella Callighen

Tara, WOW and congratulations on REAL! I truly enjoyed every word! Having heard and met George, I “get” how he has influenced and inspired you to move beyond your comfort zone! Looking forward to reading more from you. Thank you!
Stella

    Tara M Martin

    Thank you, Stella. Yes, George is quite the mover and shaker, but he is always willing to help you along the way. Thanks again. 🙂

Kristy

I’ve been wanting to blog for three years now and haven’t done it yet. You have inspired me to just do it. Congrats!! Loved your post.

    Tara M Martin

    This makes my heart happy! You’ve got this. Jump in! You might feel like you will sink but you won’t–you’ll swim. I’m living proof. Can’t wait to learn from you.

Catherine Thompson

Nice work!! Look forward to more 🙂 I also read the Innovator’s Mindset and recently got started with my “digital portfolio” as well. Love the detailed post!!

    Tara M Martin

    Thank you. Yay! We can learn from each other. I’ll look for your blogposts, as well.

Gary Gruber

Congratulations of your first post! You’ve set a high bar already and you’ve just started so guess what. Readers will expect more and even better so that’s your challenge. I wrote a blog recently called “A Week From Hell” and it was fairly personal. it could have been last week too and I will write about that later. A comment thanked me for making myself vulnerable. I believe part of being authentic is being vulnerable and owning it. If you want to read someone whom I believe is real and you haven’t taken her on, look at Anne Lamott’s recent works. Her earlier ones are good too. Thanks for sharing, Keep up the good work!

    Tara M Martin

    Thank you so much. You are too kind. I’ll check out your blog and Anne Lamott’s work.
    Journaling is a part of who I am, however, I have NEVER shared my journals with the public eye. The idea of sharing my writing nearly gave me a heart attack, but I knew I must overcome. I’m excited to finally contribute back to the global community who has helped me on countless occasions.

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