Time for me to stop writing about my life

stop_writing

My writing has always been a source of amusement to my close friends.

Not in an unkind way. More, bewilderment.

I’m a quiet and private person and it takes a long time for people to get close to me. Which means it took them a long time to get close to me and get anywhere near my innermost thoughts. So they are universally bemused by how willing I am to be open and frank here, writing for people who don’t know me at all.

The reasons I’ve been so open here?

  • Partly as therapy.
  • Partly because vulnerability is crucial for connection.
  • Mostly because I know shared experiences help people feel both less alone and more empowered.

The time has come, however, for me to stop mining my life for blog ‘fodder’

Why?

When I first started writing this blog I was in a pretty bad way: burnt out, lost, and on my very darkest day, suicidal. The six years since have been quite the journey; one you’ve all travelled with me. Everything I’ve experienced and learnt, I’ve shared with you in the hope that it might be helpful to you/be something you can apply to your own personal situation.

Where I am today, however, is miles away from where I was six years ago.

  • I’ve let go of negative mindsets.
  • I’ve added crucial layers of resilience and self-awareness.
  • I’ve developed countless techniques for managing myself better as a person.

I am not ‘there’ by any stretch of the imagination (because the day I get ‘there’ is the day I stop growing as a person) but the problems I have today are very much ‘good’ problems. And going by the emails I get, the problems I have are not the problems you, my readers, are having.

So, if I stop writing about my life and problems – what do I write about then?

Well, lots.

I have an Evernote file full of questions and topics from readers. Questions I’ve never answered/topics I’ve never covered simply because I didn’t have personal experience with those things.

In 2017 that will change. Instead of helping people via my own experiences and learnings with a smattering of research mixed in, I’m keen to bring much more research into the mix. There is so much good stuff out there to be learnt, and now that everything here doesn’t ‘have’ to be linked to a personal story, this gives me the opportunity to range wider and deeper.

So keep and eye out! ‘A Life Less Frantic 2.0’ 🙂

And now, a special request

Whenever I do those ‘How do you want to spend your days?’ questionnaires, the answer is always: ‘Writing here on my blog.’

What’s the reason I answer that?

Yes, it’s because I love writing. But I can write in a lot of places. The reason I love writing HERE is … YOU. The person reading these words.

Which is why in 2017 I’m going to look at monetising this space as that will allow me to spend more time here, writing for you. What will that monetisation look like? I’m thinking banner ads, flashing widgets and 2-3 sponsored posts a week.

Kidding.

I don’t know, to be honest. But, like everything here on the site, I’d love it to be driven by you. This one-minute survey will allow you to share your thoughts with me in that regard 🙂