When I returned to blogging at the end of February this year (two months ago), I knew I wanted to give it a better shot than I did last year.
So I made a mental goal for myself to write 4-5 blog posts a month, averaging about one per week. Not so demanding of a number that it would become overwhelming, but reasonable enough to make it both a challenge and a pleasure at the same time.
Did I meet that mark? No; not in April at least. But I’m giving myself a bit of a break because the greater purpose of the goal is being fulfilled: to make blogging an ongoing hobby. In Part 1 of this post, I touched on how rewarding of an experience my return to blogging has been, and because of that, my innate desire to continue blogging has strengthened.
Thank you to everyone who has interacted with me in this process, helping to motivate me to keep publishing my writing!
In the spirit of wanting to more firmly establish my blogging voice on the web and to have more freedom over the customization of my site, I spent the last couple weeks figuring out how to move from wordpress.com to a self-hosted blog—time that would have otherwise been spent on writing. It took me longer to figure out than it probably should have (thank you, brain fog), but I’m pleased with the result! I hope you enjoy the refreshed design and find it more straightforward to navigate.
If you made your way here over from my old site, thank you for taking the time to check things out! As I mentioned in Part 1, you’ll need to enter your email into the subscription form in order to continue receiving posts from me. Being on a self-hosted site now means that I’m unable to use the wordpress.com email subscription service that had been alerting you to my latest posts. I’ll still be writing the same health-focused content (but published on an improved user interface), so I hope this is something you’ll strongly consider!
And to new faces—welcome :). I’m a millennial living in Western Canada who writes on topics including mental health, chronic illness, the paleo diet, receiving medical care in the US, and an assortment of other thoughts relating to health.
If you have any feedback on the site redesign, let me know! A lot of work went on behind the scenes to get things configured the way they are (perhaps I’ll write a blog post about that in the future, for anyone wanting to make the same move); I’d like to hear your opinions on how that turned out.
Or just drop a hello. That’s never a bad idea 😉
You did it! Well done you. Sometimes doing things for yourself is the best reason. I’m a recent follower and noticed you’d moved (the glory of automatic email for the less tech savvy) and followed you over. Keep writing! Your voice and ideas are refreshing to read. See you soon! Here on your new site!
Author
Ahh thank you Bonnie for following me over here 🙂 your encouragement means a lot and I’m happy to have you here on this journey with me!
I like your blog it kinda reminds me of the first one I wrote a while back.
I take it that you have the paid subcrsiption
Author
Hey Cedric thanks for taking the time to comment! Yes, I did have to fork over some cash for this; but I feel that it’s a worthwhile investment in myself and this hobby of mine. Cheers!
You have a great blog. Would you like to share your story on https://whatyoublogabout.com/contact/
what motivated you to start this blog ?
Author
Thanks for checking this space out! I’ll be in touch 🙂
You have a nice blog and you also write well. Can you please review my first article. I want to know whether it has got any potential or not.
Author
Thanks for checking my site out and for the feedback! I’ll check it out.
Just stopping by to say hello! I just recently devoted myself to doing the same thing–blogging more often. Let’s hold each other accountable, hmm? 🙂
Author
Hey there and thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂 and that sounds like a good idea! Followed your blog and look forward to your coming posts.
Never, ever give up!
Author
Thank you for the encouragement!
Thank you for hopping over to my site. This post caught my eye because I have been contemplating the same move since January. WordPress.com has taken all the tools one needs to get to the point where it is possible to monitize and…put them behind a paywall. D U M B.
Nevertheless, there is smoke coming out from my dug-in heels; I will exercise self-control until such time as I can afford to do what you have done.(and the domain becomes available)
I am missing valuable tools I used to have in a previous adventure! I wish you success in your venture and good health to boot!
Author
I appreciate you checking things out on my site! Yes, I was previously in your place of feeling frustrated over the limitations of wordpress.com. The flexibility and possibilities are so much greater now that I am self-hosted! I hope you’ll be able to make that transition for yourself in the future as it’ll really elevate your abilities as a blogger. Thanks for the well wishes and I hope you’re having a fantastic week 🙂
Congratulations on self-hosting and continuing to blog. I appreciate your thoughts on managing health by stepping out of a comfort zone (even with pillows). I subscribed via email, and look forward to more from you. Best wishes – Dave
Author
Hey Dave thanks for making your way over here and for your encouragement! Wishing you well!
I am thoroughly enjoying your blog. I happened upon it when I was searching on Pinterest for how to smoothly transition my blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org. Do you have any tips/tricks you would be willing to share? I find I am getting a bit overwhelmed by the decision although, to be honest, I haven’t taken the leap yet. So, maybe I should just jump and figure it out as I go. Any advice or tips you can share would be greatly appreciated. I am now following your blog and look forward to reading more (I’m also following it on Twitter). Thanks! http://www.llamapunchblog1103.wordpress.com