I started writing my blog in May 2019.
Today is blog #53…the first blog of my second year!!
Happy Birthday Bloom to Blossoms!!
I stated in my first blog that I hope to create a community to share ideas and experiences about ways to live a healthy, evolving, and enriching life. Intellectual stimulation and community building continue to be two of my primary goals. Reading, thinking, and writing about topics I care about moved me from being a passive consumer to an actively engaged consumer. Over the past year I feel like I progressed from questioning “am I a blogger” to believing “I am a blogger”.
Sitting on the porch last week, I did some brainstorming with myself about my first year as a blogger and what I wanted to do next. Below are some key ideas and I am excited to share an additional aspect of Blooms to Blossoms that will begin on Friday.
- Blogging is more time consuming than I had expected BUT it is time well spent. Consistency in writing and publishing is important.
- Finding a niche/brand/identity (my purpose) helps focus my writing.
- Learning from trial and error is part of the process; trial and error is really a fundamental problem-solving process. Trial and error is insightful learning.
- Being “out there” (publicly sharing my writing) is a bit daunting and intimidating but fulfilling after publishing each blog.
- Inspiration for topics come from everywhere. Being open to influences from my surroundings and my day-to-day life is a creative process of writing.
- Information overload happens so organization of ideas and materials continues to be important.
- Reconnection with friends and making new friends is a benefit. Making connections with others is the community building aspect I plan to continue developing.
- Engagement in the blogging community provides support and resources.
- Patience is a virtue
The past 52 weeks topics of my blogs have been varied. Learning is a lifelong process integrating all aspects of the wellness (physical, social, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, etc).
On Friday I will launch Visual Blossoms. The purpose of Visual Blossoms is to share my thoughts about the purpose of Blooms to Blossoms with readers through sketching. The intent is not to repeat the blog in graphic form. Visual Blossoms will expand the purpose of Blooms to Blossoms…to tell the story in a distinct way.
Wrapping Up & Looking Forward
Blogging provides me the opportunity to connect my personal and professional life and continue to learn something new every day. I couldn’t have accomplished getting Blooms to Blossoms online without the encouragement and support of my family and friends. I appreciate your input and feedback. I appreciate you taking the time to read my blog. As I continue to increase my readership I appreciate you sharing my blog with your family, friends, and colleagues.
In addition, when I met Conor (my web guy), and he told me, “I love solving problems and telling authentic stories” I knew he would be a key contributor to my success. Conor listens to my ideas and then creates a custom identity and design for me to accomplish my goals.
The past year I have learned A LOT. I have filled an intellectual/creative gap missing in my life. The blog journey is off to an excellent start. I am looking forward to the upcoming year to see where it takes us.