"Do More of What You Love."

A few days ago, I shared on my Instagram stories that I had it placed on my heart to start writing more inspirational content on a weekly basis. I love writing a good favorites post and sharing what I’ve learned about military life with you guys but the truth is there is just SO MUCH that I want to write and share with the world, I just didn’t really know how to get it done. After I put it out to the universe (aka you guys) I saw that YOU all were just as excited about this series as I was. When a good insta friend mentioned that they were HERE FOR THIS and that there was a real hole in blogging and social media for this kind of thing, I knew I was on the right path.

If you’ve been around these parts for awhile then you might remember the AM Coffee Talk posts I used to do. Think of this series a lot like that except that once a week I’ll be sharing stories, memories, experiences, etc. with all of you and hopefully giving you inspiration for your week and your life. Social media and the internet and heck, the world in general can be a pretty negative place and sometimes we can get inside our own heads too much. I want to try and change that by offering “nuggets of wisdom” with you guys each week. And honestly, I need something that I know I have to write every week that isn’t just a shopping related post (as much as I love those).

I hope that you come back to these posts each week. I hope that you love these posts enough to share them with your best girlfriends.

I hope these posts make you feel like you’re sitting on my couch drinking a cup of coffee and chatting about life. So grab your cup and let’s jump in!

A few weeks ago I did a poll on Instagram. I asked the question:

“Is there something you enjoy that you don’t talk about on social media or even IRL because you’re afraid people will think you’re nerdy or weird?”

75% of the people who responded to the poll hit yes. While I hated the result, I would be lying if I said that I didn’t take comfort in the fact that I wasn’t alone. While a lot of people mentioned religion and politics specifically, I have a feeling a lot of those who responded were like me and were thinking of certain movies, franchises, books, etc. that they associated with being “uncool”. For me, it’s Pokemon. I’ve loved Pokemon pretty much ever since I can remember it being a thing and it’s something I still enjoy in my adulthood. I play nearly every new game that comes out and I’ve even started collecting cards and playing the Pokemon Trading Card Game online and getting really into that. It’s so funny to be sitting here and putting this out to potentially millions (I mean, never going to happen but it is possible LOL) of people when I can remember being so afraid of anyone knowing about my love for Pokemon growing up.

I specifically remember a time when my mom took me to a Pokemon event at the local Toys R Us. I have no idea how old I was but I was old enough to care what people thought of me. Now, I will say that my undiagnosed generalized anxiety disorder might have played a small part in all of this but regardless, it is an experience that I’ve been thinking a lot of recently. I was so excited to go to this event and just hang out. I think they were doing something special with whatever the new video game was at the time and I also remember some sort of tournament. But thinking about that day I still want to break out in a nervous sweat because of the feelings I had. I wanted to participate but I felt out of place. Probably because I’m a girl and that sort of thing is generally catered to boys. I was so in my head about what other people would think about me if they found out I was at this sort of thing that it kept me from participating AT ALL.

“I was so in my head about what other people would think about me if they found out I was at this sort of event that it kept me from participating at all.”

This really hit me the other day when I was watching a gal on Twitch who was streaming Pokemon. She was so confident about it and totally her own person when it came to the passion she has for playing it. I really started to wonder why I couldn't be like that. Why can’t I put my complete and true self out there in its entirety? I want to tell you that I’m not still like that little girl who was crippled by the fear of what people would think about her. The truth is that I still care a lot about what people think of me and I have a feeling that I’m not the only one who feels this way. How many times have YOU wanted to participate in something or wanted to share about something you love but were too afraid because it wasn't “cool” or you thought you would get made fun of? I bet a lot of us would be embarrassed by the number of times we have actually put ourselves in that situation.

So how do we pull ourselves out of that never ending anxiety about what other people think and do more of what we love?

This is definitely something I’m working on but I think the simple answer is to just do it. Just put it out there. If I can sit here and write on a blog that gets over 1,000 new people on it a month that I love Pokemon then I’m sure you can put yourself out there and share the things that you love without fear. Anyone who would judge you for the things you’re passionate about is probably someone you don’t want in your corner anyway.

Friend, if we were sitting on my couch with our coffee, this is what I would tell you: DO MORE OF WHAT YOU LOVE. Be unapologetic about it. The world needs more people who are doing what they love so go out there and do it. Even if that means you’re uncool. Even if that means you’re nerdy.

When you’re doing more of what you love that means you’re more YOU and that’s all anyone needs to be.