The Future of Simply for Real

This blog was born just over a year and a half ago and has undergone a gradual evolution as I have grown as a person and as a writer. It all came to a head a few weeks ago when I realized that I had lost my excitement for this unpaid writing gig. Simply put, I was bored and tired of pouring myself into something that I felt was going nowhere. I knew that I either needed to change something or stop writing indefinitely and find another creative outlet.

Before making a rash decision, I took a few weeks off, hoping to gain clarity and focus, and that is exactly what happened. After several days of separation from the constant push to create content, I realized that I was bored with blogging because my focus had become muddled. I was trying to cram myself into a box that did not fit me, which was making it hard to progress.

Since many of my favorite blogs revolve around simple and purposeful living, I wanted to put my own spin on that topic so that I would fit nicely amongst them. While simplicity still speaks to my heart on many levels, I must now admit to myself and the world that writing about it on a regular basis feels forced and does little to excite me. My passion lies elsewhere, and I must follow it with my writing, or my words will be nothing more than a facade. You know how I feel about pretentiousness. (And if you don’t, let me just say that few things bother me more.)

Not only that, but I have been spending a tremendous amount of time and energy tippy-toeing around certain topics because I don’t want to offend anyone. On many occasions, I have watered down subjects that I feel strongly about for fear of upsetting people by taking a stand. In the process, my voice was diluted until it only vaguely resembled the one in my head that was filled with intensity and purpose, and that is not the kind of writer I want to be. If I am going to write, I have got to do it my way.

I now realize that it is impossible to make everybody happy, and people are going to get offended no matter what I say. I believe my words will have more impact on the right people if they come from my heart, so I am going to stop watering them down and start giving myself permission to say what I feel compelled to say.

The bottom line is that writing fills a place in my soul that nothing else can, and I am not ready to give it up. So I will continue to write here, with a bit of a different focus. I changed my tagline to “Fearlessly True,” which fits seamlessly with the purpose that I have always had in mind for this blog – creating a place for women to leave pretense and perfection behind and be real. It also aligns perfectly with my new push to overcome fear and courageously stand for truth.

From here on out, you can expect this blog to be a more authentic representation of me. It will a place where we talk about living true, standing for family, embracing motherhood, defending morality, walking by faith, and finding purpose in daily life. That will be mixed with a touch of sass and peppered with humor because that is how I roll. Too much seriousness causes me to lose interest in a hurry. We’ve got a problem if I can’t keep myself interested, so be prepared for some fun.

I have also created a free email course for my subscribers entitled Courage to Stand. It is a series of three emails, sent over the span of a week, that explain why it is vital to stand for moral values and how to develop the courage to do so. It focuses primarily on values surrounding family and faith, as those two things seem to be under attack in society as a whole, and is complete with action items to get you started on your own journey to stand. You can sign up for that and my newsletter that accompanies it with the form below. (If you are already on my email list, I will automatically send it to you.)

I am excited to get started on this new leg of my blogging journey, and I hope you will join me. Who is ready to start living fearlessly true?