CAREER

Why It Took Me Four Years to Start a Blog

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Hi, I'm Erin!

I am a photographer passionate about the outdoors, meaningful travel, creativity and intention in all things. I hope to use my platform online to show the beauty and complexity of the world we live in, and to encourage genuine connection to the world and all the magic within it.

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The past 4 years of my life have consisted of pretty much non-stop travel. There were lots of dramatic ups and downs. I always wrote it down, and I always thought about sharing it.

But I didn’t share it, even though I thought about it frequently. I put it off, I told myself nobody would be interested, people would judge me for my thoughts, my writing, my experiences.

Historically, I have put a ton of energy into caring about people that simply don’t matter in my life. I have always really cared about how people see me. It always mattered to me if people thought I was cool.

I decided to move toward not caring about what people think of me. And my life is so much better.

In your life, not everyone is going to think you’re freaking rad. Some people will be annoyed by you, and some people will think you’re lame. Yeah, it can sting. But will these thoughts make you better? Probably not.

It took me 4 years to start putting myself out there and doing what feels right because I didn’t want people to think I was uncool. I didn’t want people to judge me.

I bought this domain in May after breaking up with my boyfriend. Even then, it took me six months to say “ok, I’m doing it”. It mattered so much to me when I finally launched this blog. It felt like a risk.

We deserve to celebrate letting go of things that no longer serve us.

The people that don’t like you don’t matter. Putting yourself out there isn’t about them. Putting yourself out there, is about yourself. It’s about doing what you love with the world.

Move in the direction of your goals. If you’re not hurting anybody, there’s no good reason for people to judge you. They might do it anyway. It doesn’t mean you’re doing it poorly. It means they need a hobby. Let them go.

I’m a sensitive person, and it was hard for me to start putting myself out there. But of the few people that care enough to think negatively about me, are they important to my life? Are they helping me get to being the person I want to be? Not at all.

I decide not to dwell in negativity or judgment. It took me years, but I am finally okay with people thinking I’m lame. They’re allowed. They matter less and less to me every day.

And yeah, here’s a mirror selfie.

What does matter to me is to share my stories about the outdoors, travel and what I’ve learned. I want reading this to inspire you to do something you are scared of doing. To put yourself out there, whatever that means to you. That is what I care about.

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  1. kelly says:

    Erin, can I just tell you how much I needed this post right now?! So much of what you wrote resonates with me. You are definitely an inspiring, badass woman and thanks for sharing your journey. I’m inspired. 🙂

  2. Gariele says:

    Yay! I’m happy you started blogging. Sharing your writing is a vulnerable experience but it’s important to share your talent! And kudos for thinking of a catchy domain name. When I start a blog maybe my first post can be “Why It Took Me 4 Years To Think Of A Useable Domain Name”

    • Erin says:

      Totally agree. I feel vulnerable all the time but it’s important to do things that challenge you! Haha oh man… well you do have a pretty rad project going on in the meantime 😉

  3. Megan says:

    I have read two of your blog posts so far and I can relate completely to the personal adventure you are on. I will be reading more. I feel like I am reading about myself. Thank you for your blog! p.s. i will not let myself analyze whether or not my comment is cool 😉

  4. Kathleen says:

    Just like you, it took me six months from the day I registered my domain to the day I started putting my yoga blog together and posting my writing online. And as soon as I started bringing my yoga blog to life, my own yoga daydream started taking life too. I’m enrolled in not one, but TWO yoga teacher trainings for 2016. The first one is for hot yoga fusion which starts on 2/24 and the second one is for SUP yoga teacher training which starts three weeks after I finish the first training. This is something I’ve talked about doing for years. I’m excited and terrified about yoga teacher training, but I know that’s even more reason for me to go for it. I talk about those fears here: http://www.kathleenlovesyoga.com/personal/fears-of-yoga-teacher-training/

    I’m super happy you made your blog come to life. I love it, each and every post! Each post I read motivates me more and more to take my yoga on the road one day, very soon. So thank YOU!!!

    • Love the post about fears about yoga teacher training! Sounds like it’s definitely the right move for you right now. Hope you love it and are super proud of yourself, you should be! Thanks a ton Kathleen! 🙂

  5. Moa says:

    Love this post (and your blog is awesome)!!

  6. Anonymous says:

    Nice read, very relatable. I used to write, for decades. One winter, a freakishly harsh winter, the outbuilding where I had my journals collapsed and decades of memories and thoughts disappeared. That was a decade ago. I have not written much since, an odd wandering of thoughts from the road or trail on Facebook or IG. Family , friends, and now total strangers want to read more. I am technologically naive. Generally quick on the uptake and thru learning curves tho. Can you lend some advice to an old fart, perhaps you’ve written about this already. How to start a blog space.
    Grazie Mille

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