I admit it: I kind of
wish I was a cat. Between the nifty natural fur coat, calm demeanor and 16-hour sleep sessions,
I can't imagine a more luxurious lifestyle. I've loved cats for as long as I
can remember. Looking back at photos like those below, I understand the
reasoning behind the cat club I talked about in my post about
introverts and the cat-themed decorating stage I went through at around nine
years old.
Not only are cats one of
the most popular American pets (they may even hold the #1 spot),
but they also operate a lot like us; human and cats have "practically identical sections of the brain that control emotion." That
being said, I compiled a list of 10 lessons my longhaired tabby, Tiger, has
taught me as it pertains to being a better blogger.
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| With my oldest brother's tabby, Junior (left); With a cat at my uncle's Minnesota farm (middle); With our family cat, Mickey (right); approximately five, six and seven years old, respectively. |
1. LEARN AS YOU GO.
I adopted Tiger from a local animal shelter called Kitten Ranch Rescue when I was six years old. My extent of worldly knowledge at that time halted at the crossroads of Backstreet Boys lyrics and the alphabet. I knew little about life and even less about caring for another creature. I'm 20 years old now, and I can decipher Tiger's it's-3am-play-with-me-now meows from her how-can-we-already-be-out-of-tuna-it's-only-Wednesday meows. I know what she likes, how she likes it, when she likes it and I know she likes it best from me (my boyfriend of three years, Isaac, has accepted this as unchangeable fact).
Good parenting, even pet parenting, develops over time. No expertise is born overnight (excuse the pun). Even a library's worth of "baby books" on blogging won't guarantee a successful outcome. Raising a blog from infantry to adulthood depends on wisdom gained each day during the process.
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| (1) My boyfriend, Isaac, and Tiger bonding over snuggle time; (2) Tiger making herself at home mid-work session; (3) Tiger keeping me on my toes with her strange food indulgences -- sweet potato this time. |
2. BE PATIENT.
Cats wear the crown of independence. They do things on their own time and don't bother with the limitations of time, money or social norms. Tiger graces me with her enlightened attitude in the patience department on a daily basis. Her favorite teaching method involves persistent and almost systematic interruption of my work time on my laptop. I think she set a new personal record just yesterday when I had to take her off my lap about seven times in a row when I was working on a blog post.
I'm a very impatient person. Children, furry or otherwise, seem to be adept at changing this quality in their parents. I've learned not only to be more patient with other people, but I've also learned to be more patient with myself. I've learned to set realistic deadlines both for actual tasks and for self-improvement. I know I can't learn CSS in one day. I know I can't write this entire blog post in one night, even though I'm going to try really hard to anyway. I also know views, comments and shares of my blog posts and purchases in my Etsy shop take time, just like "all good things" do.
3. EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED.
As the self-sufficient rebels they are, cats often meander into situations deemed perplexing by human standards. Tiger's antics never cease to amaze me. When she isn't sleeping her life away under our guest bed, she's exploring new lands like Cat Columbus. Since moving into my new apartment, her favorite excavations include the empty space under the TV stand and the tight wedge between the washer/dryer and the wall.
Cat behavior, as extreme as it may sometimes seem, only mimics the unpredictable nature of human behavior. It's hard to predict how -- or if -- an audience will react to something you post. It's even harder to analyze when things like #alexfromtarget and the "The Fox" music video, which tallied over 400 million views on Youtube, explode into virality nearly overnight. In advertising, this randomness is referred to as a stochastic variable, the "dark matter" of consumer behavior. Though this variable also accounts for beneficial virality, like the ALS Ice Bucket challenge that raised $100 million for the ALS Foundation, it mystifies the path to online success. While we alone can't control how users spread data across demographics, we can control the quality of our content to ensure a higher chance of popularity.
4. BE CURIOUS.
Curiosity is a cat's middle
name. Tiger embraces the stereotype to its full potential, adopting the ins and
outs of furniture and appliances as her mediums of choice. Upon familiarizing herself with her new apartment home, she became hopelessly enticed by the downstairs guest bathroom and would spend upwards of 20 minutes hanging out in it -- day, night, door open or closed (we tested this theory for science).
Great bloggers are also
great investigators. Whether researching a new social platform, testing the
best jerk chicken recipe or experimenting with the combination of leather and plaid, bloggers
wheels are in constant motion to whip out new content. Embrace your own
curiosity for whatever topic your hold dear to your heart, and the depth and
quality of your content will be justified with an influx of loyal readers.
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| (4) Tiger's curiosity leads her underneath the Christmas tree every single winter; (5) She may be crazy, but aren't we all a little bit?; (6) I let Tiger fall asleep
on my lap sometimes even when I really need to get up to reach the TV remote. I
can't resist. |
5. FORGIVE + FORGET.
Isaac and I nicknamed Tiger our "fur demon" because of
the way she seems to enjoy wreaking havoc around the house. My
mom even got in on the joke and bought me the cat owner's perfect guide to
handling the chaos. It's called "Is Your Cat Crazy?" and you can
check it out on Amazon here. While Tiger
certainly fits the criteria, I know her mania isn't rooted in an intent to
distress, which is why I find it very easy to forgive her -- and even comfort
her with treats -- after an accident.
Forgiveness not only
signifies healthy parenting but also an understanding of realistic
expectations. I know Tiger makes messes because she's an animal, and I know
I make them too because I'm a human being. I forgive myself for the typos, the
missed deadlines and the occasionally snarky tweet because it's normal to
experience those things every once in awhile. By not being dwelling on what
I've done wrong, I grow from my errors and become a better blogger along the
way.
6. BE SELFLESS.
About six months ago, I noticed Tiger's health deteriorating. Her voracious appetite, unusually petite frame and sudden excess thirst prompted me to break her decade long vet hiatus. After a batch of tests and hefty withdrawal from the savings accrued from my part-time job, our vet announced her diagnosis: hyperthyroidism, a common condition in elderly cats caused by hyperactivity of the thyroid gland. The solution: prescription hyperthyroid medication, given twice a day, every day, for the rest of Tiger's life. Done. No questions asked.
Since then, she's regained her signature fluff, eats and drinks in moderation and sleeps like a hibernating bear (hyperthyroidism can cause hyperactivity in cats and lead them to sleep less often). I continue to fulfill standard cat owner duties like litterbox cleaning, fur vacuuming and hairball healing on top of a twice daily dosing of Tiger's little pink pill.
The cheapest, simplest and least painful option for us isn't always the best option for others. When blogging, stop and think about what you can do to make others' lives better. Sometimes that means spending your Game of Thrones night conducting extra research for a blog post in order to make it as informative as possible. Other times that means hiring a web designer to aid in creating a comfortable and effortless UX for your site visitors. The heart of selfless blogging is powered by anything that thinks of the reader first.
7. HAVE EMPATHY.
I moved from Austin to San Marcos for college a few months ago. My nervousness about moving Tiger into an apartment with me -- she was an indoor/outdoor cat her whole life -- took precedence to my fear of leaving my lifelong home and conquering a new chapter of my life. I read about the stresses cats endure when moving, and her age only exacerbated my concerns. To my surprise, she adopted the new environment with the utmost cat casualness. I've been less permeable.
Empathy for readers, like skittish cats, governs attractiveness of brands. I wrote for both my high school yearbook and newspaper, and I won a spot as co-editor-in-chief of the paper my senior year. Working as an amateur journalist then and as a student of communications now instilled me with an understanding of how words and visuals affect readers. Advertising, my field of study, lives for the comprehension of how audiences emotionally respond to messages. I'm even more aware of this notion as blogger. The best content caters to its audience from both an educational and emotional standpoint. Think about the implication of your words before you post.
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| 7. I was really concerned for how Tiger would react to living with stairs, but she mastered it fast. 8. Bathing a cat is no easy feat, but Isaac and I tackle the task whenever Tiger starts to really need it. 9. Cats are natural comedians, am I right? |
8. BE COMMITTED.
Though I treat my caring for Tiger as an unconditional responsibility, not all pet owners do. The ASPCA estimates 6-8 million abandoned pets enter shelters each year. I'm grateful I found Tiger through one of those amazing shelters, but it makes me so sad to think of all the ones who aren't as lucky.
Not all those who pursue some sort of content creation online commit for the long haul, either. Stumbling upon an abandoned blog is like starting a new book that ends halfway through. Dedication to blogging through quality content creation, consistent posting and interaction with readers increases your credibility as the face of your brand. It also helps readers develop trust in you and your content.
9. HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR.
The total disregard for human social norms that I mentioned earlier results in a lot of Youtube-worthy moments between Tiger, Isaac and I. One of
her funniest habits is getting "stuck" with her tongue out, as seen
in two of the three photos in the next photoset.
Tiger reminds me not to
take life too seriously, which I often do. Humor is human, and its that sense
of humanity that readers look for in content. Give people
something to laugh at on your blog. Give people something to relate to you
with. And if they don't -- if they don't respond, or on the offhand
you receive negative feedback -- remember that sense of humor and
laugh. I value my blog almost as a second pet, but I remind myself not to
take it too much to heart.
10. BE GRATEFUL
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| 9.
The best reaction to a face like this can only be a laugh. 10. I embraced Tiger
here for a photo opp on Easter. 12. Cats on cats on cats. I can't get enough. |
I'm consoled through the mishaps and mayhem of cat motherhood with my gratitude for the 14 years of light that my fur demon has instilled in my life. I'm so glad I grew up in a home that welcomed animals -- stray, lost or injured -- with open arms and that boasted the resources necessary to care for them. I also owe a tip of the hat to my DNA for excluding the gene for cat allergies, which Isaac's family suffers from, even though it's cursed me with several other kinds.
Likewise, I'm humbled every day by the circumstances that allow me to write this blog: my right to freedom of speech and press, the existence of a free and open Internet and the unwavering support of my family and boyfriend. In the face of daily stresses, my own mom reverberates this idea to me when she says, "You're too blessed to be stressed." In an ode to her, I request to all you bloggers, creatives and small biz owners reading this to keep gratitude in sight along your road to success, whether it's smooth, bumpy, curved or straight.
"Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for." - Zig Ziglar, author and motivational speaker
