So, you’ve started a blog, eh?  That’s great!  I’m sure you read a lot of blogs, too, right?  Well, of course you do.  That means that you see a lot of niches and hear a lot of different voices.  That’s what makes this community so great.  We’re all different with similar interests.  It can be difficult though to share our voice in the midst of all the others.  We may start to compare ourselves to other bloggers – the ones that we look up to.  And we want to be careful not to start to follow a little too closely in their footsteps.  They do what they love and they do it well.

So, I challenge you to be you and do what you do.  And do it well for goodness sakes.  By all means, be inspired by your favorite bloggers and their blogs, but have your own voice and blog about what you love.  Write in your own words and be honest.  There’s no need to copy anyone, because you have one thing that the rest don’t – yourself.  There is only one like you, so why compromise that to be like someone else?  Your readers will appreciate the real you and what you have to say.  As long as you show your passion and share the real you, you’ll have quality content that people will respond to.

Trends are great and they’re fun to follow to an extent, but what happens when you find something new?  You get excited, right!  Maybe even obsess a little bit?  Yes!  Hello!  By being yourself, you’re being different and fresh.  People dig that sort of thing.  They will find you and be like, “dang, this cat’s got style!”  Who knows, you could even create the next trend simply by being yourself.

Be confident in your voice and let it be heard.  Yes, you’ll be influenced by other bloggers, but don’t try to be just like them, because you’ll eventually fall by the wayside as they continue on their own path to greatness.  Don’t hide behind someone else, be you and do what you do!  Shine!

P.S. My lovely friend Meghan made the “Oh Happy Day” planter for my birthday last year.  Isn’t she the sweetest!?!  Oh, and have a very safe and Happy New Year’s – I’ll see you in 2014!