How to be yourself

There is definitely a balance that I have had to figure out ever since starting my blog.
I've always wanted to be real and not pretend to be someone different on here than I am in real life.
But sometimes that is complicated.
Even though I would absolutely love to be an open book with everyone, I've had to learn when to share and when to keep my mouth shut.

On top of this, I've had to figure out how to just let go and be myself.
Without worrying about what everyone is going to think of me.
I'm a little quirky.
A bit weird.
Nerdy for sure.
Very sarcastic.
And sometimes even a bit cynical.
Sometimes people don't find the same things funny that I do.
Sometimes people don't realize when I am actually joking and when I'm being serious.
And you know what?
That's just who I am.
It's the way I am in real life, and it's the way I am in my blog.
When I post something that gets absolutely zero results, I've had to learn not to beat myself up about it.
Because that is honestly who I am.
Maybe not everyone is going to understand it, but that doesn't necessarily mean that I need to change.

It took me awhile to get to this place where I can just be myself and not worry what you guys are going to think of me. But, I'm happy that I did. Because I feel a little more free now.

And here is how you can do it too.

1. Remember that it is your blog. Write what you want to write and be who you want to be. If you are feeling funny, be funny. If you are feeling serious, be serious. Maybe it's not the way you usually do things. Maybe not everyone will get your jokes. Maybe not everyone will be moved to tears, but at least you are being true to yourself.

2. Don't check your stats or for comments a bazillion times after you publish a new post. A watch pot doesn't boil, and a watch blog doesn't get comments. Ok, it will probably still get comments, but you will just stress yourself out if it takes a couple hours to get your first comment. I've had to learn to publish my post and then go about my day, pretending that nothing is going on over here in blogland.

3. If you get zero comments, just forget about it. Even if no one liked your post at all, is it really the end of the world? Probably not. You have tomorrow to write something new and inspiring. Trust me, I know we all love comments! It is a good gage of whether you are keeping up with good content, but one "bad" post isn't going to kill you. Plus remember that many people who read, wont comment, even though they like what you had to say!

4. Don't change just because of something someone else is doing. One thing might work for one person, but it doesn't mean it is going to work for everyone. Trust me. I've tried to be more like certain bloggers, and it never goes over well. People can tell that you are being fake. At least I feel like I can tell when people are being fake.

5. Don't be afraid to branch out. I know that most people find their blogging "voice" and try to stick to that. But I say, don't feel confined to one specific "voice". People change and grow. You aren't always going to be the same as you are at this very moment. Not only that, but our moods are constantly changing. Sometimes I am extremely happy. Sometimes I'm hyper. Or sad. Or serious. Or missing someone. Or feeling like sharing something important. Or just down right silly. Why should I feel that just because I usually write serious posts that I can't write a silly one?


Obviously there are a lot of other ways to help you focus on being yourself. It can be incredibly simple and complicated all at the same time. At least that is how I feel sometimes. There is so much pressure we put on ourselves to be a certain way, or be more like a certain type of person. But it really isn't necessary.

The more we act like ourselves, the more others appreciate us for who we are.
Which is all I could ever ask for from life.