sometimes i have really good intentions and they backfire.

Exhibit A: I had an entire week of posts planned out for this week, and they haven't happened. 

Exhibit B: I had this great idea that even though I was starting a new job, I'd still be able to spend plenty of time looking at my fave blogs, commenting, coming up with fab post ideas, and the like. Hasn't happened.

Exhibit C: I made a pasta recipe that called for 4 cloves of garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes in the sauce and thought, "Meh, this won't be to spicy for me, little miss I-can't-handle-anything-past-ketchup." I took one bite before smothering it in sour cream, and three more before giving up entirely. 

So there you have it. And this all relates to a very Maya Angelou-esque lesson that I'm learning, and that's to be true to mahself. I get these really great ideas about how I could grow my blog (a good intention, no?), and how if I just had more time and money I could do DIY posts up the wazoo, and I could decorate my house in the most blog-worthy manner, and then I'd get gazillions of followers and comments and sponsors, etc. etc. etc. But that's not why I write, and I think I needed a little reminder of that. I think lately I've been very technical about my blog: analyzing my audiences, strategizing, looking at results, and other boring stuff like that. But if I keep that up, I think pretty soon I'll have sucked all the life out of this little thing I've created (and for crying out loud, the word life is in the blog name, and removing it is not an option).

I've spent this week reading a lot of marketing materials to get prepped for the projects I'll be working on at my new job, and they all agree on one thing: people can tell when you're being authentic. So that's what I'm going for. Consider this a heads up.

xoxo.

Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you.

-Dr. Seuss

[photo by angie, at another time when things clearly backfired!]