Since the start of the week, I’ve been thinking a lot about this online space. I wore my heart on my sleeve in Wednesday’s post (as I always do) and I think it’s what I needed to do to see where this path went next.

In the midst of all the planning, work and pure tiredness, sometimes letting go is what we need to build the blog we really want. I thought I’d found my feet. But it seems I need to carry on finding my way for now.

After your comments and from talking to my family, I’ve decided to make some small changes to ABOH, and I wanted to share them with you today.

I’ll be cutting my posting schedule down from seven days a week to five days a week, Monday to Friday. The “Your Inspirational Reminder” series will be moving to content for my Blogging Breakthrough community, and my usual “Seven For Sunday” post will be moving to Instagram.

My categories are going to change slightly too as I want to narrow down my focus even more. The main theme is going to be the same - to help you get to where you want to be. But I’m going to focus my content more on ways to build your online presence, being as productive as possible and trying to not get overwhelmed by it all.

In a post I read by Jen recently, she chose three words to describe her creative business. I’ve been inspired to do the same.

Messy: My blog is messy because I know it’ll never be right. The path to getting where I want to be with this online space won’t be easy or straightforward. Then again, no path ever is.

Heartfelt: The main thing that fuels my passion and drive behind my blog and personal brand is where it stems from and how much I care about what I’m doing. Being able to publish content every day that comes from the heart and having the chance to make meaningful, honest connections along the way is exactly what I do this for. Running a heartfelt blog means being able to write about things that go beyond my own needs.

Powerful: The definition I relate to most when it comes to this word is:

"having a strong effect on someone or something."

That is exactly what I want ABOH to do for you.

But this also led to me thinking what else I want to bring to this messy, heartfelt, powerful blog, and I wanted to share my thoughts with you today.

#1 | I want to be able to live my life as I want it

This is probably one of the biggest things I need to change - feeling guilty about doing things for me rather than work. The main piece of feedback I got from you on Wednesday was “don’t be so hard on yourself”, and you were all absolutely right. I should be able to create my own schedule and adapt it when needed. I should feel OK in taking a day off from my blog whenever I want to. I should come back fuelled with the passion to create things, thinking “I’ve missed blogging this weekend.” The constant pressure needs to be erased.

#2 | I want the freedom to do more

One of my favourite things about being a blogger is looking back at how much I’ve learnt and how much I’ve grown. It’s challenged me in more ways than I could possibly imagine, both with my skill ability and personally. When my blog grows, I grow, and that’s never been more true than over these past four months. The different ways I’ve opened up my creativity this year has been inspiring and it makes me want to have the space and freedom to explore even bigger ideas in the future.

#3 | I want to put myself first

Something I say a lot on this blog is that nothing will run right unless you do and it’s so true. Last weekend, I felt weak and I definitely wasn’t putting myself first even though I thought I was. But putting myself and my health at the forefront of everything will allow me do even bigger things. I truly believe that. This blog brought me out of a very dark place at the start of this journey, and that proves to me just how powerful it is and is my sole motivator.

#4 | I want to create meaningful connections

Spending a lot of time on social media with my community, receiving your emails and listening to your thoughts, worries and dreams, whilst encouraging you to go after what you want is one of the most fulfilling parts of being a blogger. If I could spend all day connecting with you I could and it bums me out that I can’t spend more time during a day having conversations with you. But I want them to be even more meaningful than they already are. I want them to go deeper and have a big impact, because I know how much of a positive impact on my work there’ll be.

#5 | I want my life to be aligned

Instead of battling between the two, I want them both to support each other. My blog and my life. My online presence and my life. What I’ve created here helps me be the person I am and fuels my creativity, whilst allowing my to live a life alongside my values and passions. I had no idea how much this online space would become a part of my life, but it has. So even though it can get overwhelming and messy along the way, nothing can stop the happiness it brings me.

We’re the generation that wants more and when we’ve achieved one goal we’re already working towards the next one. But today, I want you to pause and take stock of everything your online presence has brought your way. Whether you’ve been on your path for three months or three years. We will always face hurdles, problems and hard decisions throughout our journey, but through this tough period I’ve realised one thing - the fulfilment you feel is that one thing that will keep you going.

Let’s chat in the comments - what do you love about your online presence right now? What happiness have you come across along the way?