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By Sanjana Vig MD/MBA
As a newly minted attending physician, I decided to start a blog. This past year I’ve realized how many voices are out there on the Internet. However in regards to physicians, most of the content I noticed was from men and related solely to financial independence, paying off loans, and of course medicine. All of those topics are amazing and you should definitely read those blogs, however, I felt that a woman’s voice was lacking. Especially one that addressed LIFE, in general. Yes our careers are multi faceted and blogging about that alone will supply you with enough content. However, our lives and experiences are just as important. Especially as a female, and a minority, I feel that my experiences and my perspective is one that many others share. Yet, there’s no one out there to express this point of view, and I believe many women feel alone in their situations. So that’s where my decision to start a blog came from. I wanted to provide a point of gathering for single, female physicians (or professionals) to share stories and experiences, and essentially a sense of support for each other.
As a result, my blog doesn’t have any one particular focus. I write about all kinds of topics, from my travel adventures, to struggles as a female leader, to dating and just life events in general. As an example, one of my first posts discussed moving to a new place and having to start over. Excerpt below:
“When you're unhappy, you have a tendency to make all kinds of stupid decisions. Date the wrong person just because you are lonely; work too much because you feel like you have to as the new guy; force yourself into situations for the sake of "putting yourself out there". For anyone currently in this boat, DONT DO IT. As miserable as this time period is, it will pass. I think the biggest thing people forget, is to just enjoy BEING. Be you--figure yourself out. Likes/dislikes, focus on whatever you feel like. Trust your gut. If you want to go somewhere: GO. If you don't want to hang out with people: DONT. If you can't stand the guy you're on a date with : GO HOME. Be alone (its ok).--I've gone through multiple periods of loneliness where I was starting over, struggling to make new friends. Each time I learned new things about myself that I wouldn't have if I hadn't been alone.” How did I do it? Google search. You’ll find plenty of sources out there for starting and creating a blog. I chose Wordpress as my site builder. Through them you can choose to do it for free, with limited options, or pay a yearly fee, which gives you access to more privacy, spam filters, and templates for building and protecting your site. I’m completely website illiterate and I was able to put together my website in one evening. Very easy to use.
A few things I’ve learned from building my own blog:
1. Let the words come naturally When I have to force myself to think of the words, it ends up coming out all wrong. Let the topics come to you naturally and then sit down and write what you’re thinking. Let it flow. The result will be a blog post that sounds like you and is true to your thoughts. 2. Be authentic This relates to #1. As long as you sound like yourself, you’ll be more likely to attract those that truly feel the same way and are more likely to be loyal followers. 3. Trust your gut Don’t question what you write about. Sometimes a topic may seem really personal, or controversial, however don’t let that stop you from putting it out there. We need more serious conversations to happen and once one person speaks up its much easier for others to do so. Plus, letting people in to your more personal stories will only help them connect with you better. 4. Use visuals Pictures, pictures, pictures. Words will start to blur on the page after a while, but pictures will stand out and grab your crowd. 5. Figure out your theme For me it was life in general; for others its only about travel, or work, or a hobby. It doesn’t matter what you choose, but you need to choose. Your theme for your blog will help guide what your posts are about and give it some consistency. 6. Don’t forget to have fun I’ve spoken to some people who’ve tried to blog and just found it stressful. However, for me, having a blog not only serves as an outlet for my thoughts, but also provides me with a way to express myself in a way that I don’t feel I can always do in everyday life. And I thoroughly enjoy that. My focus isn’t to gain the most followers, it’s just to be me and to see what happens. --BeThree
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