to blog or not to blog

Today I am going to blog about blogging. Haha, great idea right? But really, I have not been seriously blogging for that long... I started getting serious about it in May of this year I believe, so I still consider myself a newbie. Why I blog... hmmm, I guess because I want to! I started blogging because I saw the potential to {interact, learn, have fun, be creative, and hopefully have some sort of impact on people}.

http://www.gabrielweinberg.com/blog/images/blogging.jpg

I have had lots of {interaction}. I have loved getting to know wonderful ladies and read super great blogs, the ladies on my sidebar to name a few.
I have {learned} a lot of fun fashion, craft, and recipes. I have experimented with different looks and hairstyles.
I have had lots of {fun}!
I feel like I have gotten to {be creative} and gotten lots of inspiration from other blogs.
Had an {impact} on lives? I am not quite sure, but I hope so.

I have enjoyed all of these things! But for a while there I felt like blogging was more work than fun.  I have just done blogging out of my heart and expression. I wanted to do it, I looked forward to working on the blog. However there has been times that has just not been the case. Maybe it was due to busyness, but I was in some sort of a funk. Some weeks I was lucky to muster up one blog post let alone go searching and reading around other blogs. I didn't want to do it. It just felt like one more thing on my list that I had to do.

Here's the truth, I don't ever want to feel obligated to blog, I want it to just come up out of me. I want it to be fun and energizing, not stressful and dragging. Obviously when you feel that way it is going to be apparent to all of your readers, so there came a time when I had to step away. I didn't make myself do anything with the blog. I took a break hoping my love would come alive and come out even more creatively than before. And I am excited and pleased to say I believe that it has worked. One reason being I have limited myself and kept myself consistent. I have committed to posting and putting a certain amount of time into the blog and I am not letting myself do more. In the past I started doing more than I could maintain weekly and it killed my excitement and joy of blogging, but no more my friends!

I have learned something about blogging and life in general through this little experience. We all need to be renewed and refreshed. Hello! That's why God created the system of the weekends! lol But really, who wants to go through life hating all of their obligations? Their jobs, their families, school... they can all be overwhelming from time to time. Rather than killing ourselves when we are empty of inspiration and have nothing to give, take a break. Renew. Refresh. Get filled up and fueled up. Now I know that you can't just peace out of work, school, or family, but you can take an hour, afternoon, day, weekend, and just be free. Find your passion and joy again. Blogging is the same way. Don't blog and post and tweet out of obligation to your readers. Just like you wouldn't drive your car on empty because you were obligated to be somewhere, don't pour out ideas, words of advice, fashion tips when YOU are running on "E." Take time away to be renewed and filled up so to speak, then the ideas and creativity will spill out.

How did you renew yourself this weekend? 

Have you ever had these kind of experiences with blogging?

P.S. I was over at Pamela's Heavenly Treats yesterday sharing a super fun and yummy treat! Head on over and check it out. Oh, and tell Pamela hi for me :D