How and Why I Got Involved In Blogging

Isn’t it funny how we get involved with things in our lives? How did you get into your job that you currently work? Was it by accident or something that you were passionate about? Did you see yourself doing something like that before you worked there? Chances are, you didn’t.

I’ve loved to write various kinds or works since I was a little kid. I remember actually having an electronic typewriter (yes, I’m younger! Only in my 30’s now) and putting together short stories. I loved the way the formatting worked and tried to bind my own books.

It seems like in whatever I do, I lean a little towards writing. I took advanced English classes in high school. I helped work on various writing projects at all of my jobs from writing up manuals to doing sales copy writing to creating intriguing email series. I love writing.

Then, my wife and I got involved in getting control of our finances and learning to get on a budget and started making great progress. I loved it. We started facilitating Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University classes at our church.

When that wasn’t scratching my itch to talk personal finance enough, I decided to join a bunch of Facebook groups to talk to lots of others about how we handle our finances. It was in those groups that I started seeing some recurring questions and topics coming up over and over again. I decided that it would be great to have some resources at my fingertips that I could point someone to give them my answer to help them out in detail.

That is when I started this blog. I guess it boils down to three main ideas. I wanted to share my experiences and have a journal of sorts. I love talking about personal finance with others so much that this would be a great outlet for me. And lastly, I’ve always wanted to start and run my own business. Below, I’m going to dive deeper into each of these points.

I wanted to share my experiences

For a long time, I’ve loved tracking our progress as we’ve been working through our debts, building up our savings and growing our net worth. I wish I would have had this blog back when we were going through all of that. It would have been amazing to get to track and journal through that whole process. The ups and the downs, the victories and the setbacks! But, they say there is no better time to start than the present. So, here I am, starting to chronicle my journey and inviting others to share theirs.

I remember reading all the success stories as we were paying off our debt and hearing how others kept their eye on the prize and how much of a motivator that was for us. I want to give back in a way by sharing my experiences and where our family has been able to get so far and hopefully influence others to get started as well as motivate them to keep on going, month in and month out.

I want to show others that it can be done on one income if you just commit to a budget and track your spending. If you get on the same page as your spouse and work together. This is why I started blogging.

I love talking about personal finance with others as well as reading about it

I’ve been talking about personal finance with others and reading about it since I was a little kid. I remember when I was around 12, I would sit down with a copy of Investor’s Business Daily and read about different stocks and read their section that was teaching about looking at technical signs. I remember reading about Warren Buffet and how he got started investing when he was young and how successful he’s become by just growing a little bit at a time.

The big shift came after we attended Financial Peace University small group through our local church though. I was fired up about the baby steps and felt like we were finally going to get traction. And being in a group setting and chatting with others about each other’s situation and how we can help each other out. After that, I wasn’t afraid to talk about our money situation because I had met so many others in the same situation.

As time passed, I started having conversations with more and more people which drove my need to read and learn more about personal finance. I found myself getting into conversations for hours with others that had a passion for personal finance as well. I found myself reading about it in my spare time and it just started consuming my hobby time as well. Usually when that starts happening, it’s time to see where you can take it, which leads me to my third point.

I’ve always wanted to start and run my own business.

My dad has always been entrepreneurial and has always encouraged it in myself as well. My whole family has, but my dad has run more businesses than anyone else in my family that I know of. Growing up, I remember him almost always running his own business versus working for someone else. He’s never been afraid to take chances and isn’t afraid to fail if something didn’t work. I’ve seen him try many different opportunities like construction management, fishing tournaments, a pizza restaurant, online marketing, direct sales marketing, and even a cabinet refinishing business. Seeing all those different things put money into his pockets and food on the table has been quite inspiring.

I’ve always been able to hold onto a job for the most part, but was always longing for something more. Wanting my own business has always lurked in my mind. So, why not see if I can turn this blog into something greater than a glorified journal. I want it to become a resource for readers like you to find the courage to start yourselves if you have the drive. I want you to feel empowered and to take action like I have.

All in all, I guess one of the biggest reasons that I’ve started a blog is to help others and to validate what I’m doing. It’s funny how much more real everything becomes once we push that ever amazing publish button! I hope you are as excited to go on this journey as I am.