Why This Blog - A Step Back

It’s been a crazy summer and I’ve been anything but regular about posting on this here blog. And do you know what? I’m okay with that.

Coming back from Montana/Idaho/Boston I was excited to get into a religious and somewhat aggressive blog posting schedule. I mapped out content for the next while, started researching for some of those posts and…then…I kind of took a step back. I started revisiting the long list of reasons why I’d not started a blog sooner in my life:

1. I didn’t want to contribute excessively to the torrent of even worthwhile information we all (have to/choose to) sift through everyday.
2. I didn’t want “likes” and comments and numbers of followers to affect my self-perception or self-worth or have an “online scoreboard”.
3. I didn’t want to have one more thing available to check or needing to be checked (for comments, new followers, etc.)
4. I didn’t want a virtual life/online presence crowding my real life.
5. I didn’t want to share everything or even a ton about my life online. I really value my privacy and keeping things simple.

When I started bobsey.co I actually did not intend for it to be “a blog”. Yes, I wanted a blog section but I wanted mostly static content. As I started blogging, however, I found I really enjoyed it. It was (still is) so fun to practice writing again – crafting words, finding better phrases, etc. It was exciting to see dozens of visitor on some days. And I derived (still do) satisfaction at the thought, true or not, that I might be encouraging even one person to spend/buy differently and reap the rewards.

But there have been downsides. I’ve seen some of the items on the “I didn’t wanna” list surface. I’m not going to go into great detail (see Item #4 on the list above) but will mention a couple things.

• This whole thing started with the idea to share what I’ve come to love about a budgeted life in book format for the reason that it allows for a whole-picture perspective. Blogging has actually been a distraction from that goal as I focused on posting multiple times per week, increasing readership, etc. to get more of the instant gratification inherent in a blog – comments, followers, site visits.
• There have been plenty of reasons to read other blogs related to my subject matter – researching topics to write about, finding statistics, looking for success stories, analyzing approaches, etc. However, as I’ve spent more time reading other blogs I’ve been less satisfied with what I’m doing. My voice feels less familiar. My purpose has felt a little less sure. I’ve had self-doubt that my perspective or learnings are needed or unique. And most importantly, as I spent time in a sphere that’s largely about advertising, followers, and often self-aggrandizement, I felt myself slipping just a little bit from my priority of caring most about what God thinks of me and how much I think of Him.

So, after an intentional break, I’m back. But I’m back more intentionally. I’ll likely only post once per week. Maybe Tuesdays. Or Mondays. Not sure yet:) And my blog (subject matter, visual effects, etc) may be out of style since I don’t plan to spend much time seeing what else is out there. But it will hopefully be (more) substantial (not necessarily longer) and authentically Em. I sincerely look forward to continuing this journey with my priorities more intact. As always, let me know if you have specific questions or need help or encouragement! I am not THE expert or even AN expert but I do want to help if I can. Ta ta for now:)

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