To my nearest and dearest faithful readers,
Do you remember waking up at night with that ache in your legs as a child? Did you, like me, call out to your mom to come and see what in the world was wrong with you? My mom would stumble into my room from a dead sleep and explain that it was “only growing pains.” In the dark of the night, however, when things are more dramatic, I remember wondering if it could be something much more serious. It must be if the pain was so constant. I thought then that I was ready to stop growing.
Well, now I’m having those same pains, only with my blog and I do not want to stop growing. I need your opinions. I seem to have become almost bipolar when it comes to my blog these days. I love it some days and marvel at its’ growth, while other days I think who cares what I have to say? Why do I spend so much time with this? Why do I love it so much, but feel so insecure at times about the success of my writing? How would I define success with a blog? How do others define success? I check my stats every day. I check my followers on Twitter – every day. My likes on Facebook, my plus ones on Google+, pins on Pinterest, etc. You get the picture – on Instagram.
I love my blog. I love the creative process, my improving photography and the interaction I have with people because of it. My little blog here is a little over a year old and I have worked harder at building this than I have any other endeavor – except my family, of course. I read everything I can get my hands on about blogging. I take photography classes, writing classes and study other blogs to see how they do it. I also subscribe to newsletters to try and understand the mechanics of it all.
The technical side of blogging has been and remains my biggest challenge. Learning to write code is like learning a new language, only without Rosetta Stone by my side. Can I get an Amen out there, blogger friends?
There are days when I click that publish button and think – this is the one. People will react to this. People will comment on this. And on those other days, I click publish and immediately wish I hadn’t. Move to Trash was likely a better choice. It wasn’t good enough. It was silly. The photography was pitiful. I was too opinionated. My southern slang sounded more redneck than southern….And it goes on and on.
I’ve re-designed the look of my blog 3 times and refocused my purpose so many times I’ve lost track. So… here is your mission, should you choose to accept it… Help me grow without all the pain! After discussing this briefly with another blogger friend, she suggested that I decide what my passion is and then let my blog support that passion. It then dawned on me, as clear as mud, that I had made my blog my passion instead of blogging about my passion.
Here is the difficult part. I have too many passions to choose just one or two. I’m as scatter-brained as your grandmama’s ashes and not ashamed to admit it. I’ve had a hard time staying focused on any one thing for longer than a week or two – except for this blog! For my dedicated readers who know me best, please let me know your thoughts. Here is a list of my passions in no particular order. Which one or two would you most likely follow on a regular basis? And how often would you like to see a post published? Daily, bi-weekly or once a week?
- Fashion for Women over 40
- Decorating
- Family life
- Empty Nest Ideas
- Spiritual Life
- Travel/Entertainment
- Cooking for Two
- Friendship
- Human Interest Stories
- Photography
- Current Events
If you’d prefer I stop all this nonsense and do something else… well, may all your pains grow, too! 😉 I’m only joshing. Thank you so very much for reading my posts. Please be kind and leave a comment. I really want to know what you think.
Your blogging friend,
Kim