A Few Blog Updates and a New Mission Statement
A Few Blog Updates
First, like I've said a few times before, I'd like to do more writing here. Publish better content, and more frequent content. Those are my goals. I've kept this blog alive for over 5 years now, but I feel like it's limping along and some months it devolves into the rabbit hole of forgotten hobbies. Quiet Habits is not a business and never will be a business, but I also don't want it to turn into a personal journal or a site where I post random things about my life. I want to stick to the mission statement.
Second, speaking of the mission statement, I think it deserves a bit of clarity. When people come and read this blog, I want them to have a quick understanding of what the content is all about so they can make an informed decision about whether to stick around and subscribe or go find something else to read. I'll clarify and post in the coming weeks.
Third, I'd like to make an audio version of this blog. I have the resources and can find the time. I'd like to make my voice heard beyond the words on your screen and make what I write more accessible.
Fourth, I'm toying with the idea of asking for donations. As one of my dear readers, what are your thoughts on this? I'm not going to block access or put up ads or do any yucky online money-making junk if you don't donate. But this blog (and the coming audio version) takes some time and money to maintain. I never intended this to be a full-time gig (I have a day job that I absolutely love), but I want to make it sustainable for the future. Send me an email: nathan “at” quiethabits.net with your thoughts about the donation/Patreon/tips model. If I do ask for donations or tips, I'm going to invest a lot more time/energy into writing even more great content.
Mission Statement Update
I've been blogging for quite some time. Over 6 years. During that time I've had many false starts, restarts, and fresh starts. I've changed blog names, domain names, and niches. I've moved hosts and platforms and have gone through periods of flood and famine with publishing content. A lot has changed in the 6+ years since I started writing and publishing things on the Internet. A lot has changed with this blog and with me and my life. A few things have remained the same and I think I've once again refined the purpose of this blog, which requires a mission statement of sorts. Perhaps that's too strong, maybe a statement of purpose or just a list of things I'd still like to blog about.
- Keep it real. This blog has always been and always will be about real life. I might not share any intimate details about my life, but I don't think faking things or sugar-coating them helps anyone learn anything and doesn't benefit anyone. If I fail at something, I'm going to let you know and write about it. If I succeed, I'll celebrate. If I find something isn't working, I'll talk about how I want to make a change. Life is all about the ups and downs. I'm not perfect and I hope that comes through in my writing about my experiences.
- This is not a “how-to” or “guide” blog. I'm not going to give you 5 tips to get your life together, get organized, become a minimalist, find inner peace and happiness, and become enlightened. Mostly because I think most of those articles and lists are useless trash, but also because I'm still at the beginning of the path to most of those aspirations.
- A small shift. This blog began its life under a different name (smplife) and became Quiet Habits after a lot of thought. It started out as a blog about minimalism and simple living. It evolved over time to be about habits and lifestyle changes. Now, I think it's gone through another evolution. I may still write about minimalism and essentialism and habit change, but mostly this is “The story of an introvert learning to thrive in an extrovert's world by learning to live a quiet, happy life one habit at a time.” The “new” Quiet Habits is going to be more personal, more focused on my struggles and my wins as an anxious introvert, and the habits that bring me closer to living a happy life. I'll be focusing my writing heavily on introversion, anxiety, habits and habit change, essentialism/minimalism/whatever-isms, and my personal search for happiness and fulfillment. You may also notice a new tagline: “In a noisy world, it's important to find a little quiet.”
I think that's about it. For now. I used to feel bad about making these iterative changes, like I was failing or giving up on the way I used to write or what I used to focus on. Now, I realize that iterative change is a good thing and necessary for survival. But the more I change things and shift around my mission and content, the more I realize that the core values and reasons behind why I started this blog remain very much the same. Thanks for sticking with me through the years!
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