Monday, March 3, 2014

My Blog is for Me

Over the last couple months I've been trying to figure out how to make myself commit to blogging. I just never felt like putting in the work anymore. I thought the answer was to make it a daily habit, schedule all my posts the weekend before, buy a planner, watch less Teen Mom so I had more time... but I don't think that was it.  Those things would help, but they wouldn't fix the problem. The most important thing I had to do to make myself blog was to want to blog.

I started wondering the other day: I know I love blogging, but do I love my blog? Am I truly happy with what it is and what it's brought me? And I think the answer is no. I have loved the connections it's brought me, but I don't think I love my blog.


When I started this blog- and I don't mean this blog as you know it, I mean way way back- I started it 100% for me. As a space to write for just me. I didn't even care if anyone read it, I just wanted a space to put my thoughts out there. That really didn't do much for me, and I gave up after, like, a day. Then I discovered the whole blogging community out there. I learned that you could make friends, and money, and have fans, and that there were actually people out there who wanted to read about your life- like a reality show, but in writing. That was when I started blogging again. I enjoyed the whole thing a lot more, but the blog lost it's diary-esque element I had once wanted from it.

I got too focused on making friends, and money, and having fans. I wrote lots of fluffy posts that I thought bloggers were "supposed" to write. When my blog wasn't growing as quickly as I wanted, I got bored. I still wanted to blog, but I couldn't make myself sit down and do it. Eventually I just started blowing it off all together until I got to the point that I thought I couldn't come back. But what I'm realizing now is, I can come back whenever I want. I can write whatever I want. This is my blog, and it really doesn't matter what anyone says or doesn't say. Even if no one reads it I can still write it. I want to write for personal enjoyment, pride, and to teach myself to step outside my comfort zone. If I'm getting something out of writing a post then that is a success. Readership is not what makes my blog successful.


My goal for this little blog of mine is to make it more reflective of who I am. I'm going to stop focusing on goals, and stats, and writing what I think people want to read. I want this blog to be less fluffy and more real, raw, and more of an extension of who I am. Who cares how many comments I get and how many blog friends I make? Okay, well I do, but I truly believe those things will come if I stop trying to make it happen and just start writing from my heart.

Thanks to Erin for the advice and for helping me realize where I wanted my blog to go from here, even if I did just read what you said and then go off in some completely random direction!


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6 comments:

  1. Haha well you are SO welcome for the advice! I share to hopefully inspire others. It doesn't have to be in the same exact way as me obviously, just long that it gets your thinking. And you most certainly have :)

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  2. I totally get what you're saying! It's so true! As strange as it may be, I think readers are pretty interested in boring day to day like stuff vs all the cool stuff that blogs are "supposed" to have.

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  3. I think blogging for you is the best way to go, it's easy to get caught up in what everyone else is doing but eventually we all end up coming back to what we love most which is more than likely writing.

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  4. What a great honest post. I definitely think it's important to blog for yourself so the posts feel genuine. I for one, am a fan of everything you do!
    -Alex
    http://www.monstermisa.blogspot.com/

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  5. I love this! I always hate blogging "rules", I'm like dude, this is MY place to do whatever I want!

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  6. Well said! That's a good idea to keep in mind no matter which stage of blogging you are in. Speaking {or typing} from the heart about the simple, everyday stuff that is part of our lives and totally relatable allows us the opportunity to make a connection, encouraging our fellow bloggers, as well as ourselves.

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