Some of you may have been wondering, “Where is Shellie? I haven’t heard anything from her in months!” If you’ve actually noticed that I haven’t been around, then bless your little heart! Yes, I have been away from the keyboard for quite a while now and I thought it was about time to let some of you know what happened to my blog.

How I Got Started With Blogging

It all started innocently enough two years ago. I had been having such success with a new approach to fitness and I wanted to find a way to let others in on it. At that time all I knew about blogging could be categorized as a general hazy realization that some people would write about things in a short story-like format. I didn’t know anything about WordPress or finding your niche or promotion or marketing, let alone developing your “brand.”

All these elements unfolded as I dove into blogging headfirst with The FABulous Journey. The more I learned about the process, the more I realized I still needed to learn. The first several months were consumed in stacks of scribbled to-do lists; future blogging tasks or features that I absolutely had to include in my blogging website. I also determined that I was excited and inspired by more things in life than fitness, so I broadened my scope to include different aspects of fashion and fulfillment.

Quite frankly, I loved the creative burst of learning something that was so new and completely out of my skill set. My son had recently left home for college and I found a welcome diversion in my new blogging venture. I spent hours learning new techniques and adding new features to my blog…good enough just wasn’t good enough; it had to be done right! I wanted my blog to look professional, so it could better reflect my message and attract new readers.

Actually, my “message” was a driving force for blogging in the first place; therefore, I was driven to make sure everything else was appealing enough for readers to hang around long enough to hear it! In this modern-day atmosphere, bombarded by competing images, my blog had to stand out from the pack, and by all means, it had to pass the Google test so people could find it!

Here’s where the workload really amped up. I soon learned that it’s not enough to have a good looking blog if you don’t have an equally impressive marketing strategy to promote it, thus entered the world of social media. Before I knew what hit me, I had opened a new Twitter account, followed closely by Instagram and Pinterest. Each of these social mediums required my time, my attention and a constant supply of new, visually optimized content to attract readers to my blog, which in turn also required hours of preparation and creative input.

What Happened To My Blog?

All of this moved on at a steady clip until my schedule changed with a move back to the United States last summer. Here, my time was no longer my own as it had been in the Philippines. I had family and work responsibilities that required extensive travel and I no longer had access to a photographer for my fashion pics. Above all else, I was worn out…tired of the incessant, albeit self-imposed, time clock of the blog machine I had created. So, what happened to my blog?…I just stopped blogging.

Who told me I had to post every week? What would happen if I took some time away from blogging? Was I getting paid?…no. Had I signed some type of contract?…no. Would I lose the following I had worked so hard to build…possibly.

Here’s the thing, I wanted to offer a message of hope and life to women over 40, but somewhere along the way my life had become consumed with blogging about my life. I guess I just finally got to the point where it was more important to live my life than it was to write about it…and in the end, just how many different outfits does a woman need?! I don’t think I realized in the beginning that every new fashion shoot would require a different article of clothing…hmm.

What Does This All Mean For My Blog?

So, where does this leave me as a blogger and you as a reader? Quite frankly, I am not quite sure at this point. I can say I am not ready to hang up my blog altogether, but most likely it will be a few more months before I am in the position to consider posting with any regularity. I’ve mostly written this post to let you know where I’ve been and also to give some food for thought to others who may also feel like mice caught in the blogging wheel as I did.

Does this mean I’ve lost my message…absolutely not! I honestly feel God has given me a fabulous life in which I live and move and have my being. I have an awesome husband, two great kids and a pretty fine fashion sense (if I do say so myself…smile). I just need to focus on those things for now and I’ll be back in a while to let you know what I’ve decided to do with The FABulous Journey.

I so appreciate the inquiries I have received from some of you over the last few months and I would love to hear your thoughts. As always, I am humbled and honored that you would take these few moments to spend with me.

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