Another year, another blogger

There’s a certain amount of self-loathing that takes place after the holidays.  It’s that lull between over-stuffed gluttony and hope for a thinner, happier New Year.  We’re all making our resolutions to get fit, eat clean, whatever. I give it three weeks max before you’re scarfing down an entire sleeve of Oreos and washing it down with 2 percent milk.

No?  Okay maybe that’s just me.

But not this year.  This year my resolution is different.  It’s something attainable and real, and something I’ve wanted to do for a long time: Start a blog. 

Six months ago I was feeling trapped in a job that I’d lost passion for.  On the outside it seemed like I had it together.  And in a lot of ways I did, or at least I thought so.  I was newly married to my college sweetheart, living in a new city, and anchoring and reporting for primetime newscasts in a top 25 TV market.  I was 28 years old and co-anchoring alongside seasoned broadcasters – some of them old enough to be my parents.  So many young journalists would have killed to be in my shoes. 

So what was my problem?

I spent a lot of time asking myself that question.   I felt guilty for not appreciating what I had – like a spoiled brat for not loving every minute of working in my dream job. I had been working for this since I was 14 years old, after all.

Instead, I would daydream during commercial breaks about what it would be like to start my own business and do things my way.  I hated missing out on friends' weddings, or being stuck in the studio on Christmas morning instead of with my family.  I looked at entrepreneurs and I wanted what they had – freedom.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss the thrill of live TV.  It was an adrenaline rush, and it took a huge leap of faith to walk away from it.  I can't explain it, other than to say that God had other plans.  Plans I'm still trying to figure out.

It took me a while to accept that sometimes our dreams change.  Sometimes God plants a seed in your heart and He’s just waiting for you to water it.  That doesn’t mean everything you’ve done up until this point was in vain – but rather it’s prepared you for what’s ahead. 

I spent seven years creating what amounted to hours of TV news and website content – shooting, writing, editing, delivering stories that newsroom managers wanted to see.  Content that – in my opinion – was sensationalized and misleading.

Now I get to do things my way, and my first priority is to create content that you want to read.

I could talk to a brick wall about the latest designer bag I’m saving up for, or how “stressed” I am about our upcoming kitchen renovation.   But I also crave depth.  I want to learn more about myself and the world around me, and the God who created it all.  I crave authenticity, and I know I'm not the only one.  

So my blog will be a mix of everything; home renovations, DIY projects, married life, travel, faith, art and design.  I hope you’ll share your thoughts and ideas, and let me know about content you'd like to see in the new year.

I hope to create a space where my readers feel at ease, okay with the fact that we don’t have all the answers.  We’re not supposed to.   

So pass the Oreos and raise your (milk) glasses to moving forward in faith this new year – the first of many new things to come in 2017.

xo,

Erika