I was thinking about my own personal goals this morning and about what motivates me to set out to achieve them. I have never been one to sit and really list my gaols, they are more just thoughts that I swirl around in my head and work towards. Maybe I should plan better, make lists and create steps towards achieving them? I have tried doing this once, or twice (or more), and usually find I tend to not look back at my list after I have made it, probably why I am so disorganised.

Anyway, I got to thinking about the gaols for this blog of mine, and what motivates me to continue having this blog and where I want it to go. It made me realise that I haven’t looked at my blog statistics in a very long time, maybe a year, maybe longer? Why? I asked myself. The answer was quite simple, I don’t care about the statistics. When I began blogging I was addicted to looking at the stats because it was like a little buzz of adrenaline, an “oh my gosh! People are actually reading my blog!” It was exciting and unexpected. Now don’t get me wrong, it is lovely to know people are reading my work and it is fascinating to see how many different countries have adopted my blog, but to me it made it clear that a large audience is not my priority.

So what is my priority? What is it that motivates me to keep writing? I guess there is a couple of things. When I first started I just wrote for me, because I needed an outlet and writing was a big passion of mine that I was ignoring. However, I now find that my fictional writing fulfils that for me, so why still write here? For me it is the moments of getting to help someone, inspire someone, or just have someone read something that they can relate to.

My greatest joy from my blog isn’t about how many people read my blog post today, or receiving an email from Mailchimp saying I have a new subscriber (even though I do have a little happy dance when that happens), it is the personal emails I get, or a comment I receive from someone telling me I have helped them, or I have written something that motivates them, or makes them feel like they are not alone. That is my motivation to continue.

To know I am sitting here on the opposite side of the world to many of my readers, typing away what pops into my head, no plan, no schedule, just me being me, and knowing someone is feeling less alone because of that fills me with a deep sense of joy and gratitude.

Sometimes even though I am surrounded by people I still feel alone, but writing here, being vulnerable, it helps somehow, and to know that I can help others too is such a blessing in my life. I may not be making a huge impact on the world, but if I am making a positive one in any way then that feels good, and that is my continued motivation.

So today I looked at my recent statistics and the countries from all over the world who are reading my blog, my reach is far further than I anticipated which is lovely as it shows that people are relating to my words. One of my most read posts of all time was Give yourself permission to make mistakes, so I guess a lot of people relate to that topic. We do make mistakes, I have made many, but I am learning and continuing to grow, despite still being a little too hard on myself.

I will list a few other favourite posts according to the stats, feel free to click on them and have a read if they appeal to you.

Overall my goal going forward is to continue to be authentic, to share my random thoughts and feelings and hope you will feel comfortable to reach out via comments, or a personal email if you wish to. I hope that visiting my website here makes you feel cosy and nurtured. If there are any particular questions, or topics you would like me to touch upon feel free to ask in the comment section.

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Thank you for taking this journey with me, Mac xx