Sarahritchie17 In honor of my 50th blog post, I wanted to reflect on why I write, why I started this blog, and what I’ve learned from it.
I write because it’s how I express myself. There’s something about taking the time to mull over a thought as it goes from my brain to my hands, whether pen & paper or the keyboard. And the backspace button gives me the opportunity to get it wrong the first time and try again.
I started this blog because I had things to say. I feared that I didn’t have enough things to say and that I’d run out of topics to write about, but here we are 50 posts later. I write because I feel like there is a lot of garbage content and fake news on the internet, and I wanted to create a space of quality, genuine, and authentic content—things that people would have something to gain from reading. Content that made people feel inspired to reflect, learn, and grow to be the best versions of themselves.
I write about the elements of my life that bring me joy time and time again—grow, read, travel, eat, train, create, finance. These are the things that have not only shaped me into the person I am today, but also continue to make me feel happy, successful, and blessed day in and day out.
I write about personal growth because that’s what inspired me to start this blog. At the time, I was reading Rachel Hollis and Brendon Burchard and listening to podcasts by Jenna Kutcher and Trent Shelton and John Maxwell. I was constantly consuming personal growth content, and I wanted to amplify the lessons I was learning.
I write about books because I gain the most from a book when I force myself to reflect on it. Writing about a book gives me the opportunity to digest what I’ve gained from the pages and really read between the lines into what the author intended.
I write about travel because exploring new places brings me so much joy. I read travel blogs all the time when I visit places I haven’t been to and even ones that I’ve spent a lot of time in. I have the privilege to travel often (normally, but not so much in 2020), and I want to share those wonderful places and ideas with others.
I write about food because I have finally figured it out. I used to be horrible in the kitchen. Once I was making Kraft Mac and Cheese, and I added the cheese packet into the boiling water. Once I forgot the egg when I was making brownies from a box with clear instructions. Once I was making chocolate chip cookies and halved everything in the recipe except the salt. But now that I don’t live under the same roof as my mom, I’ve had to figure out how to cook for myself. Surprisingly, it hasn’t been as bad as I feared. I’ve actually found a lot of great recipes that even I can’t mess up, and dare I say, some of my modifications have made them even better. I always look for recipes that don’t take too long to make and that don’t require extravagant ingredients. I think that a huge part of having a well-balanced and healthy diet is knowing what goes into your food and planning ahead. I write about food because it fascinates me, it’s delicious, and I want to inspire people with simple meal ideas on a budget.
I write about training and exercising because movement is for more than just your body; it’s also for your mind. When you push yourself and challenge yourself in the gym, on the road, on a mountain, or in a pool, part of your fight is mental. And when you can get past the mindset of ‘I can’t do this,’ everything changes. I think movement can empower you to do the things you fear the most. Every goal is accomplished one step at a time, and I hope to inspire people to take that first step (and the next, and the next).
I write about crafting and creativity because its a passion of mine. I love to create beautiful and meaningful things. My creativity is something I’ve kept to myself and my close circle of friends, but lately I’ve been wanting to share it with others.
I write about personal finance because there are not enough women writing about it. Finance has historically been a male-dominated field, and I don’t think we are where we should be with balancing the scale. I see men teaching both men and women about finance, and I see women teaching women about finance, but I don’t see women teaching both men and women about finance. I try to write my blog for anyone who wants to read it regardless of gender. I try to write for people in their 20’s, just starting out in the real world and figuring it out. I have a Bachelor of Science in Management and with it, a lot of education on business and finance. I may not be an expert, but I’ve done well enough for myself already to feel like I have something to offer from budgeting tips to learning how to start investing. I write about finance because I want to help people break down the fears they have about money and learn how to make their money work for them.
So here I am, 50 blogs in, and I feel like I’m just getting started. I have a list of blog post ideas that’s growing faster than I can write them. Blogging has given me the opportunity to reflect on things in ways that I haven’t before. It has made me set aside time to write each week and live up to the commitment I’ve made to producing quality content. I’ve been surprised at how much time I’ve had to put into writing each post, but it has been 100% worth it. Each post, I unravel more about what’s important to me and what I have to give to the world. I learn more about what motivates me. Writing this blog week after week has taught me that there are valuable lessons in the simple everyday and that I have something to share. Blogging is the creative outlet I needed in my life, and I plan to keep writing for many more posts. Cheers to 50, and thank you to my loyal readers who have been with me from the start and kept me motivated to keep going.
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Cheers!
Sarah
