Tada! New surroundings, as I'm sure you've noticed. And you may be wondering why.
I hope so. I'm dying to explain!
I've been pretty mum in the online world since mid-October. And its been good for me, mostly. I've been re-thinking a lot of things, and I've come to a lot of interesting new conclusions. Also, I've been sick a lot. That's why this blog post didn't come out a few weeks ago. If I'd felt better, I would have written around Christmas (by the way, I'm noticing that the worse I feel physically, the harder it is to feel ambitious. Or to just plain out-and-out Get Discouraged).
Anyway--the new blog. (WARNING: Rants ahead!)
Basically, I decided it was better for me, at this stage in my life to go back to a free site/blog. Maybe some day I will be better able to afford a paid website (I certainly hope so!). But I no longer feel I have to have a paid site.
Why?
Well, if you are at all interested in being an online entrepreneur of any kind, you've probably heard Marketing Gurus expounding over and over on how you must have a website of your own. There's two main reasons for this. One, a paid website is yours (*cough* so long as you can keep up the payments of course. *cough cough*). The only other reason seems to be professional pride. That people will take you more seriously if you don't have a "blogspot.com" or "wordpress.com" attached to your domain.
Well. Maybe people do take you more seriously with a paid site. But I'm not so sure that I ever cared much, until the Marketers told me too.
I'm also starting to think that Pride alone is a pretty poor reason to buy something I really cannot afford at the moment.
As for having a place that's really all mine on the internet...how true is this if I can't pay for it any longer? Now thats something I've always wondered about. I have to pay for domains and hosting, so who am I paying? Doesn't that give the people I'm paying some sort of claim too? Therefore, aren't I right back to Square One, "renting space" off somebody online?
Don't get me wrong! I know that a website is much better than using a social media account to market something you're selling. I'm just taking a stand for all of us dirt-poor entrepreneurs and saying, I honestly see NOTHING wrong with a free site or blog until you can afford something better.
And please don't fall into the trap of thinking that just because you do buy something (a website, a how-to course, or a myriad other things), that it will certainly make you a success. A website doesn't guarantee success. There's a lot more goes into it.
Of course, maybe I need to stop and define "success" here! By it, do I mean, that you gain a following of thousands, or make enough money to quit your day job, or become the next J.K. Rowling or....what?
I guess that all depends on you. It's different for everyone.
But I've been thinking about this a lot lately.
Let me tell you what my defination of success is.
What I love to do most is create. I love words and I love color. I am a storyteller and an artist. To me, a day is wasted if I haven't drawn a picture, written a couple hundred words, or in some other manner made something beautiful.
Since I've been sick, I've been thinking a lot about why I do what I do. For the last year I've been putting up short stories as ebooks, working like crazy on a website, and trying to build an email list. I've learned a lot of practical things in the process, but the truth is, the only reason I could find for any of this crazy Hubbub was, "So I can get people to buy my books, and then make enough money doing it, that I can write books full time."
That's not really a bad reason of course. But it seems to have become the only reason I was doing anything. And the truth is, as soon as money enters the picture all happiness and contentment spirals downward.
It leads to a very self-centered point of view. Not to mention sheer desperation! And pretty soon, its simply no fun to write, draw, or create--and that was the whole point of this disappointing spiral! To have enough time to make the things I love to make!
At this point in my thinking (and realizing), I came to a conclusion on what would be success for me.
For me, success is doing whatever will please God, not myself.
For me, success is being able to reach out and help others in some way, even if it means a little discomfort to myself.
For me, success is creating things of wonder and beauty, just for the joy of making them--and if those things can serve the first two purposes, even better!
So, that's why I'm simplifying. That's why I moved to a free website. That's why I'm taking another look at the thousand and one goals I set at the beginning of the year (yes, I'm a goal-setting-aholic. I admit it)...and plan to simplify some more!
Not sure exactly where this journey will take me, but its bound to be a pretty exciting one!
I hope you'll take a moment to comment and tell me what success means to you...and how my blog, my creations, and myself could be of service in your life!
Have a blessed and creative day, my friends!
