There’s something about September…

Happy Friday and happy almost Labor Day weekend! Maybe it’s even started already for some of you! Wahoo!

We’ll be sticking around here until tomorrow afternoon and then are headed to my in-laws for some family time and a joint birthday party for Ted’s aunt and uncle – plenty of indulging to partake in over the course of the long weekend, for sure. #eattoomuch #drinktoomuch #repeat – I love holiday weekends HA!

Today, I am stopping in to share a few, okay maybe 20, of my goals around the blog and a bit about where I hope to see things go. Warning: this post is long and somewhat personal 🙂

Yesterday, I briefly mentioned my excitement for the fall season to arrive. There’s something about September, that takes me right down memory lane. Back-to-school time as a kid always made me feel energized, optimistic, motivated and even a bit anxious about the unknowns of what was to come – hard classes? new friends? busy, unmanageable  extracurricular schedule?

Well, I sorta feel a lot like a school girl with these same feelings now! Coming back from the Haven conference in Atlanta in July sparked some major I-can-do-absolutely-anything-I-put-my-mind-to-sorts of thoughts and feelings, in regards to blogging. The incredibly talented speakers & leaders were so positive & uplifting with their messaging. They really made you feel like you were on top of the world and could take it ALL on and be successful while doing it. I took thorough notes and had a mini game plan jotted down for what I was going to do as soon as I got home. Well, life happened……our trip to Savannah……then Henry’s 3rd birthday party……basement project work…then a quick mom & daughter getaway to AZ to help decorate my parents’ new house…….more basement projects……amongst many other things and……I just haven’t gotten very far.

So, I’m going to do what I guess a blogger would do…put it all out there!

I’ve been posting projects and little snippets of  my life for almost 18 months now – I have NO idea where that amount of time went! so wild. What I’ve realized, is that I really enjoy blogging.

#obviously – Or I wouldn’t still be doing it!

Sure, its time-consuming and can be stressful, too. I put a lot of pressure on myself to produce quality projects, and I’ve struggled with perfectionism my whole life! With quality projects comes a whoooole laundry list of other things – quality photography, quality editing, quality post content, consistency, frequency AND with all of the social media outlets around us everywhere – its impossible to not compare yourself to what everyone else is doing and posting GORGEOUS photos of 10x per day! Its a lot to keep up with! I try hard not to compare myself to what they do or have accomplished, but rather look to them as the incredibly inspiration that they are!!

This quote really hits home…
Ironically enough, Jon was the opening speaker at Haven! This is so very true and really a great reminder to step back and realize everyone is at different points in their careers, hobbies and life. Comparisons don’t help get you anywhere!

Although I want this blog to be something special, I don’t want it to ever interfere with what’s most important to me – my family. I’m going to continue to chug along this little blogging journey of mine with the hopes that when my boys are in school full-time, I can be doing THIS full-time or at least a good chunk of time! So, yes, I’m working towards monetizing the blog and I will touch more on this in another post. My days with them are  precious and since I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to be able to stay home with them, they are my number one priority and always will be. If you’ve been reading for awhile, you’ll know I do the bulk of my projects & blogging during naptime. Since Henry has started to phase out of his afternoon siesta, things have gotten a little chaotic around here – but I’m trying to keep my cool!!

My readers are everything and I truly appreciate each and every one of you. After I get through this long, rambling old post, I’ll have several follow-up posts and fill you in on how you can help me with this journey (like #13 below)!

Ok, lets get to it. Here is my blogging punch-list, in no particular order, and it includes items I am going to take action on this month – yep, right now in September!

1 | Self-host my site
2 | Hire a web designer to assist with the redesign
3 | Start an email campaign / reader newsletter
4 | Determine my weekly posting frequency (2, 3, 4x per week)
5 | Determine my post schedule (M/W/F?)
6 | Organize my blog categories into a more detailed drop-down menu
7 | Buy new camera lens
8 | Attend quarterly Windy City Blogger Collective events
9 | Join additional affiliate networks
10 | Engage with brands in order to partner for sponsored posts &/or product reviews
11 | Get involved in a blog hop / series with other bloggers
12 | Regularly participate in various link parties
13 | Create a reader survey to capture the needs & wants of you!
14 | Get more active with my Facebook page
15 | Grow my FB page following to 1,000 likes
16 | Increase my Instagram followers to 1,000
17 | Get more personal / share more real stuff!
18 | Share more day-to-day activities / project ideas / project progress
19 | Add new items to my etsy shop
20 | Start e-design work in addition to my current business (I know, I still haven’t fully spilled the beans yet – coming soon!)

Whew!!! Ok, so some / many of these might not make much sense to you right now, but I promise to share the details of my progress along the way. If you follow other blogs or are a blogger yourself, then you probably have somewhat of a clue as to what I’m talking about, but for those of you who don’t, please don’t worry! I am doing all of this to get better for YOU! I truly want This is our Bliss to be a place where people can come to get ideas and find inspiration – you don’t have to be a blogger to do that! I want to continue to do and create things that people feel they can take on at any budget and with any skill level!

So, now that this is officially my longest.post.ever. – I am going to say good-bye! Thank you for reading all of this and for your support as I work towards some of these goals.

I will be right back here on Monday with the first installment of a brand new September series! I am literally still pinching myself that I have this opportunity! You won’t want to miss it 🙂

Have a wonderful holiday weekend!