Why I Blog… And Why I Don’t
I used to blog…. and I loved it. It was the perfect way to connect with creative people that I may otherwise never meet. People that loved being creative, sharing family stories, faith, fun and pictures. I LOVE pictures. Posts without pictures are tough for me to get through. ha! (So enjoy a few pictures from the last few years as you read through this.)
But here’s the problem… I got caught up into the “you must do ‘this and that’ to be considered a successful blogger” lie. I focused too much on growing and networking as a badge of a successful blog that I lost my joy in writing and sharing. I forgot that blog is successful when it meet’s your own expectations, not others.
I was not turning my blog into a multi national empire. (Now don’t get me wrong. If you have done that and fulfilled a dream, more power to ya! You are an inspiration to me!) But that wasn’t my main goal in blogging. My main goal always was to have a creative outlet and connect with people that have similar interests. I lost sight of that. The failure and comparison game was ugly and I got discouraged.
I took a break when life got busy. And that break became longer and longer until I felt I needed to just shut it down and reevaluate why I blogged… and why I didn’t. I realized that there is no right or wrong way to do this. There may be more effective ways, but not wrong. In the words of the Nester from long ago ( I’m pretty sure it was her…) “it’s my blog and I’ll ruin it if I want to!” (insert parody singing here.)
Don’t get me wrong. I want to be the best blogger that I can be. In fact I will be the best blogger that I can be. I won’t get overwhelmed in trying to catch up with others.
This is my journey.
Their is theirs.
And I want you to join me for the ride.
So here’s the deal. If I get 10 followers or 10,000 I am determined to keep blogging for the right reasons.
I will enjoy it.
I won’t stress over it.
I will keep this as a creative outlet.
I will not over commit.
I also will not blog for the wrong reasons.
I will better myself, my home, and my style of writing/sharing on the blog. I do want to grow as an individual through this.
And if Hobby Lobby wants to partner with me down the road to create my own line of home goods I certainly won’t complain. Hey a girl can dream, right? {wink}
All photos are taken by yours truly unless otherwise noted, and are exclusive content of this blog.
2 Comments
Angelina
Great post! It really helped me a lot. I recently went through a similar situation and this article describes what I was going through spot on. Glad we connected!
SoSunnyDay
Angelina, I am so thankful that this helped! I am looking forward to seeing you jump back in with enthusiasm as you share your love of food/blogging. I too am glad we connected. Have a wonderful week!
~ Emily