*Photo of a hike we took in Santa Barbara, CA in April 2019.

I’m trying out my blogging journey and path again. My own unique path. Who wants to hike with me on this next phase?

It has been over a year since I blogged. I just didn’t know exactly how I wanted to proceed. I have a bit of a love hate with it really. I love sharing my thoughts and connecting with others through it. I also am private so putting myself out there makes me feel vulnerable and exposed. So I’ve been keeping my blog private to those that sign up. Which means I’m also limited in followers.

And at times, I want to touch people outside of that circle. So what do I do?

So to fill this need, I’ve been journaling, completing my happiness journal everyday (for 4yrs straight now!), doing my monthly memory jar, and reading books. And connecting through conversations, book clubs, and reading other authors. My goal this year is to read 100 books. So far, I’ve read 36 so I’m slightly behind. But catching up. I want to enjoy them and not just focus so much on the goal. But thus far it is a great refueling escape!

In all my reading, I have read a few leadership and self help books. I always fluctuate between fiction, nonfiction, leadership/self help, business, and housing/design/architecture books. So I definitely have a variety!

And in that reading, a common theme keeps coming up. Finding your 2 core values. In other books they refer to it as your “why” or drivers/intrinsic motivations. Many authors write about it- Simon Sinek, Brene Brown, Rachel Hollis, and even celebrity books I’ve ready from people like Arianna Huffington, Reese Witherspoon, the Property Brothers….and my favorite that started me on this journey the book The Artist Way.

And each time I read one of these books, I go through their process to determine and verify my 2 core values. And it always comes back the same. 1) Growth and 2) Balance.

For me growth is about growing in all aspects of my life as well as helping others grow. I think that is what has attracted me to my career choices, what drives me in relationships, and ultimately why I seek out self discovery and blogging. I always want to be growing- intellectually, emotionally, and physically (there isn’t a workout I won’t try or want to challenge myself with!). Growth is so important to me. And connecting with others that are also seeking to grow and learning from each other. If I stopped growing I think it would depress me.  I need it to stay fueled up—to give me energy.

The other is balance. That is another big reason I started my blog. I was trying so hard to find my version of balance (each is uniquely different) so that I was never consumed by one thing- not work, not trying to achieve motherhood (and then motherhood down the road), not one relationship, not one hobby, etc. I wanted to find what balance means to me- which is totally different from someone else I am sure. And then use it to refuel me- to give me energy.  I need that creative spirit to show my artistic side- whether that be through photography, cooking, drawing, writing, traveling, etc. And I also seek the intellectual side. And the emotional side- relationships, love, hope, faith. There is so much to consume in this world, I want to soak it all in and not let one thing take over my life. I want to live! And my version of living is finding all those things and not letting one aspect of my life consume me.  Not letting one aspect of my life pull me down either. Having enough energy points and refueling points that I can sustain without going negative or dark when one aspect of my life doesn’t work out as planned. It is a coping mechanism for me too.

And so I have decided to make this blog public and continue to explore both growth and my version of balance. To put myself out there because I am craving that connection with others who seek the same thing. And that have ideas on how to achieve them I may not.  Not every blog post will be deep. Some will be fun Netflix and reality show picks. But I want to share my journey. Not to make others feel bad in comparison, or to be critiqued, but to help and connect with others.

So we will try this one more time. It may not go anywhere but I’ll have some fun and refuel.

One last pic just for fun on a hike we took in Santa Barbara (same timeframe as the one above).