I Do What I Want.

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The title of this post is actually a huge inside joke with my college roommates because my sassy friend from DC used to say this. Partly kidding, partly serious. And I’m okay with calling her sassy (because she is) but because I feel like I’m the same way. I’m a free spirit and like to dance to the beat of my own drum. And therefore, I do what I want.

Sure, there were points in my life when I followed the crowd and wanted so badly to fit in. So I would compromise who I was and fall in line with the crowd. But soon enough, I’d fall out of line and make my own path. I don’t like to be told what to do, I don’t want to be uncomfortable doing something, and I want to make sure I’m always staying true to myself. Which can be kind of hard when you’re seeing the world around you unfold on social media and you begin questioning your own success in life.

Don’t do it, people.

One thing I will never tell another blogger is to stop writing personal posts. I may not have hundreds of thousands of page views because I’m not constantly writing how-to posts or lists. And there’s nothing wrong with those! Heck I do them too. But according to Google and SEO and all of the technical nonsense, that’s how to skyrocket your blog traffic. And that’s great. Ching Ching $$$$$$$ But that’s not why I started blogging. Sometimes I enjoy those posts and other times they’re a chore. And no one likes chores, do they?

But my point is, don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t succeed if you write personal posts. I know that so many people enjoy personal posts because they’ve taken an interest in the blogger’s life and like to get to know the writer behind the blog.

People blog for different reasons:

Some just want to write.

Some want to inspire others whether it be food, fashion, DIY projects, and more.

Some want to document their lives.

Some haven’t figured it out.

And when it all comes down to it, it doesn’t matter why you blog! What does matter is that you do what you want and you don’t listen to anyone else. What works for one person may not work for you so take advice with caution. Success doesn’t happen overnight and it certainly doesn’t come from being unoriginal or copying someone else. If you lose your passion, you lose any chance of being successful. Sure, captivating your audience matters but you have to love what you do in order to do that.

I’m sure you’ve heard the quote, “If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.” And while I understand the meaning behind the quote, I somewhat disagree. I love what I do but I work my tail off every single day. I have so many plans and ideas brewing in my head and not enough hours in a day to do all of them. It’s important to love what you do but you also have to work to get where you want to be.

Don’t follow the crowd. And don’t worry about what anyone else is doing. Just follow your heart and do what makes you happy.

I do what I want. And you should too