Feed Me Friday: January 31st
On "Feed Me Friday", I share the items in my feed reader that have inspired me or have caused me to pause and reflect.
Yesterday on Facebook, I asked Taste As You Go fans a question -- "What's the silliest thing you've ever done to get/stay warm?" Answers included wearing a bathrobe over multiple layers of clothing (guilty...), taking a hot bath, and pulling people in for a group hug. I'd love to say that my current obsession -- clicking through photos from my trip to Los Cabos -- is a sure-fire way to warm up, but, so far, I'm still experiencing a chill in my bones. At the very least, those pictures are making me want to plan a trip back to Mexico. I was so happy there!
And, speaking of happy....
Resolve to Be Happy
Although I've been much, much better about sticking to a regular publishing schedule in the new year, I'm finding that my thoughts are often consumed with devising strategies to grow my audience and to partner with more brands. I'm sometimes plagued with fear about not providing interesting enough content for my readers or not keeping up with the bigger and seemingly more successful blogs out there.
After reading this blog post on decor8, one of my favorite design blogs, I found myself nodding a lot and agreeing with Holly's thoughts about returning to her blogging roots, about deciding to "let instinct take the wheel" in terms of determining the direction in which her blog moves over the coming months. Spending less time focusing on the numbers and more time focusing on the things that inspire her.
I, too, am resolving to go back to my roots. After all, I launched Taste As You Go as a creative outlet, a way to share my love of cooking and food with others. I'm going to write about what inspires me, without following to a specific business plan and without worrying about whether I'm hitting specific blogging goals. And if that means writing about things outside of the realm of food, then so be it. (I mean, naturally, I'm interested in things other than food!)
Don't get me wrong, goals are fabulous motivators, but they can often hinder creativity. I'm going to save goal-setting for other areas of my life -- my freelance writing career, projects around our house, certain aspects of self-improvement -- but it's important that I allow my instinct to drive what I do here. I've found that the most wonderful opportunities and revelations surface when I just go with my gut, trust myself, and focus on the things that give me joy.
So, thank you, Holly, for helping me find my way back to my blogging roots. It's going to be an interesting journey from here on out, and I can't wait to see what happens along the way!
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