The Key To Successful Blogging (and how it translates to life itself).

So I have this relationship with blogging. It's a relationship that I ultimately try to grow at least once a day (obviously, hence the name). But life sometimes gets the best of this relationship as other relationships in my life take over. For example, the mother-daughter thing. Or the husband-wife thing. Both of which are extremely important to me and will always and forever come before blogging. 

Hence, my absence from Daily Dose for the past few days.

The hubs worked killer hours last week, which left me home with Hannah from dawn 'till dusk. I'm not complaining about that at all— AT ALL. But when I can't rely on someone else for help, I can't always check things off my list. A list that usually starts with blogging, and proceeds through other things like laundry and cleaning. This week, cleaning was definitely a priority as we baptized my daughter on Sunday (following up the ceremony with a family dinner at our house).

I wish her little white dress could fit her forever:

I also wish I had known about the race in my town this weekend.

Further proof that I was one busy gal these past few days. 

Yes, indeed. I found myself on another peaceful weekend run, despite that which is life. It's a run I very much look forward to throughout the week. 

I ran just shy of five miles, discovering the sun toward the end of my adventure:

But creeping into the back of my mind from start to finish: Daily Dose.

When I didn't post on Thursday, I thought...eh. S'okay. 
When I didn't post on Friday, I though...hm. Gotta get something up.
When I didn't post on Saturday, I though...crap. And panic ensued. 
When I didn't post on Sunday, I thought...rats. I'm a failure.

Four days of unsuccessful blogging. FOUR DAYS! But let's be honest, it's just four days.

By Sunday night, I accepted the fact that I hadn't blogged in four days. I just knew that what I was living was far more important than the number of posts I put up in a day or week. Or the number of followers and page hits I accumulate. Or the number of brands that want to work with me. And I knew that what I was living, my very own life, was far more important to me than anything my fellow healthy living bloggers were doing. I didn't...I shouldn't be worried about that, so I stopped feeling like I had to keep up. Oddly enough, I came across "5 Reasons Why Comparing Yourself to an A-List Blogger Can Ruin You" in my Reader when I finally sat down on Sunday for some quiet time.

That's when I felt even better. And newly motivated.
So here I sit. Blogging.
Once again, entertaining this relationship.

And as I form letters into words, words into a post, posts into a blog...I can't help but realize that, with the help of my busy schedule and the article linked above, I've discovered (and this really isn't anything new):

THE ONE TRUE KEY TO SUCCESSFUL BLOGGING
Never, ever forget why you started blogging in the first place. Focus on that energy, that drive and motivation. Forget the push to build an audience. It will come as you continue to deliver content that's both motivating and inspiring. Content that stays true to your heart, your mind and your soul rather than numbers and analytics (yours or anyone else's).

If you're a newbie (or oldie) blogger, remember to be yourself in this crazy blogging world. Forget not who you are in light of those who inspire you. You don't have to put out five thousand posts a day—I can tell when bloggers post just to post, can't you? It drives me nuts. But I can also tell when bloggers post from the heart, delivering true content that speaks repeatedly to the reader long after they've closed the browser.

If you're not a blogger, the above applies to life as well: Stay true to yourself. Your heart, your mind and your soul. Never forget who you are. Follow trends, but only if they make sense to you, yourself and thou. Conform to the crowds if and only if you feel truly passionate about the crowd. Don't make decisions based on the successes of others. Learn from others, sure, but find ways that you can motivate and inspire all by yourself.

All. By. Yourself.

You.

Question: Did you have an ah-HA! moment this weekend? What happened, and how did it change you?