New Suit of Clothes

I thought long and hard about this redesign and the shift I’ve made in blogging. A couple months ago, I decided to step outside of the agriculture box I’d stepped into and include more topics unrelated to agriculture on this website. Things like fitness. Photography. The scribblings of every day life. Though a lot of them actually end up relating to ranch life, it’s still not the original focus I had here.

Everyone – the successful people of blogging that make a lot of money – says to focus on one topic. To create an authoritative site on a niche focus. To be an expert on something like how to run DNA tests on hair or the art of making voodoo dolls.

I know they’re right. Contrary to what I sometimes do, I actually am savvy about blogging. I’ve been a blogger for more than five years on several different sites. I read Darren Rowse, Chris Brogan and Seth Godin. I was even paid for a year to write a blog, not as that’s any barometer to be measured against.

As I evaluated where I was, what I was doing and where I was going, this accepted blogging wisdom became something that wasn’t right for me. I want to be successful, yes, but I don’t want to do it at the cost of compromising how blogging fits me.

Make no mistake, cattle ranching and agriculture are my passion. Total and complete me-love-you-long-time passion. I could write about ranching, rural lifestyle and agriculture for a really long time which begs the question of why I decided to branch out.

Because of everything else in my head.

I adore writing. Though I frequently crash up against the evil walls of writer’s block and self doubt, the writing process and end result is something I’ve pursued since I was small. I got tired of all these topics popping into my head and then dismissing them because they weren’t about how calves are born or the proper way to administer a vaccination.

It was a difficult decision. I love the idea of connecting consumers with where their food comes from, and I hope I’m still having that impact. I love sharing my experiences with cattle and what life on a ranch is really like. It doesn’t mean that everything I write is good. Sometimes I publish blog posts that are less than exemplary, but I’ve forced myself to become okay with that. I don’t think you can get better at something if you’re continually waiting on perfection.

There’s just so much more to this life in boots I’m living, and it starts with stomping down the boxes I’ve put myself in.

P.S. See something that isn’t working in my new design? Pretty, pretty please give me a shout and let me know!