Just Launch: My Blog Gets a New Design

Yesterday you did not hear from me, and for good reason. I took my blogging time and dedicated it instead to the launching of a new design of the Under an Open Sky blog.  I am so very happy to share the new look with you!

(If you are reading this via an email link or in a reader, you might want to click over here to the blog to see the new look.)

One year ago as I launched Under an Open Sky, I knew one thing to be true. If I wait till I have time to make a beautiful design and add all the features I would like to see, before writing my first post, I would never happen. This was not a client project. I was accountable to no one but myself. And that was a problem.

You see, I suffer from a syndrome called “Analysis Paralysis.” This condition develops out of a larger disease known as “Perfectionism.” Symptoms include: inability to make final decisions, fear of missing out on one more option, lack of self confidence to produce, and can even result in death by planning.

I am happy to say, I daily fight tooth and nail to keep my Analysis Paralysis in remission. Here are a few ways I do that.

Just start.

I speak almost daily to people with new ideas, passionate visions or whispered hopes. But the ones that stand out are the ones that are willing to launch the next step towards their dream without everything perfectly ready and in place. We launch and then work out the kinks as they come up. This is huge folks. Launch your vision today. Today. Today. Today.

Momentum is built by beginning, not by planning.

I am really amazed the momentum that builds just by the launching. Unanticipated results often lead to greater opportunities than we could have planned for. One thing builds on another in ways that cannot be planned. The sky opens up when we commit and go forward.

Do what is in front of you.

Where to start? Look down at what is in your hands and just start there. Do what is right there in front of you, what is obvious. And amazingly the next step will come into view. What is in your hands?

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{ photo credit }

So with that in mind, I launched my initial blog a year ago with a generic template and forbid myself to tinker with it until I began to write. And now, one year in, I knew it was time for a fresh design. So I pushed hard to release it in one week’s time. It is not perfect and there are a number of small formatting issues I want to address, particularly for my mobile readers. But instead of waiting till it was perfect, last night I forced myself to push it live. (Sometimes I have to be a bit of a bully with myself.)

Ta Da! Here it is. Do you like it? I think I do. What will you launch today?

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Back-and-Forward-ButtonThis post is part of my series 31 Days of Glancing Back and Leaning Forward: Personal reflections and life lessons from my year.

To see the rest of the posts in this series, please click here.
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It is pure joy to me knowing you are reading what I am writing. Thank you.

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7 thoughts on “Just Launch: My Blog Gets a New Design”

    • Stacey dear, I am laughing my head off at your comment! I have to say though that your face was before me as I wrote today because I am proud of the efforts you’ve launched this year and the success you are seeing with http://www.littlefiggy.com. Keep launching that coffee – its leading to great things!!

      Reply
  1. I love the new design too (that little black screen when you go to a new page is interesting) and I loved Stacey’s comment too. I’m not launching anything special today especially since it’s 8.42pm… I did decorate my classroom for Halloween so maybe that could count…

    Reply
  2. “Momentum is built by beginning, not by planning.
    I am really amazed the momentum that builds just by the launching. Unanticipated results often lead to greater opportunities than we could have planned for. One thing builds on another in ways that cannot be planned. The sky opens up when we commit and go forward.” ~ love this! Only God knows the end from the beginning which means we can trust Him to guide us in the plan He has for us, asking we only step out and walk by faith 🙂

    Reply

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