I saw an Instagram post featuring seven reasons why you should start a blog right now, this second. With all of this free time we now have, I agree that creating a blog would be a great way to take up some time. The seven reasons were this: to share your passion, entrepreneurial skills, discover your purpose, flexible work schedule, new people and experiences, financial freedom and promote a venture. As I was scrolling through the seven reasons, I found myself being able to resonate with almost all of them. I’ve met new people, shared my passion through my words, found a purpose. Money? Not so much. But that’s not the point right now. Although those reasons struck a chord with me, I wouldn’t say that those were necessarily why I started a blog in the first place.
The other day, a friend of mine asked me how Operation Happiness came to be. It was totally out of the blue and it made me so happy. People ask me all the time how my blog is doing, but no one asks me how it started. I found myself rambling on and on, or at least that’s how it sounded in my head, about every little detail and aspect behind the blog. I love talking about it!
I’ll give you the rundown of what I said:
Basically, I was unhappy at school and was dreading going back second semester. I had a friend who felt the same way at the time, and one day I had texted her “Operation: Happiness,” meaning that was the goal of the next semester. We thought of making it into a podcast once we got back to school to entertain and occupy our miserable selves, but as fun as it sounded, I knew it was never actually going to happen. Fast forward to the first weekend back at school - I was at boot camp for the school newspaper. Someone had mentioned something about having your own website as a portfolio or just to have and the next thing I know, I am Googling “make my own website for free” and totally zoning out of the training. I am the least tech savvy person ever but somehow, I figured out how to design my own blog. I stayed up late that night, even after my roommate went to sleep and the lights were out, just working on layout. This was the first time in a while that I was genuinely excited about something. Fast forward a year and a half later and here we are! Reading this! The beautiful birth story of my baby, my blog.
I was inspired by the post I saw and decided I want to give you my own seven reasons as to why making this blog was the best thing I ever did...
I feel proud of myself
When I first started the blog, I never advertised when I had new posts. I would send the link to my family and a few friends, but at the time I thought that if I posted about my own writing, that the self promotion aspect was wrong and it would be as if I was forcing people to read what I wrote. It took me a few months to realize that that was the ONLY way that people would read what I wrote. How else would they know about it? I’m proud of my writing style and how people can hear my voice in my words. I’m proud of what I put out there and the way I organize things. I’m proud of how invested I am. Although it may not have my name on it, Operation Happiness is my own and I love sharing it.
It provides me with structure and time management
Ideally, it would be nice for me to have a posting schedule. I planned on doing College Confessions every Monday, maybe a regular post every Friday. I soon realized that I can’t follow a timeline like that, not because I don’t have the capability to do so (If you know me you know I love a good schedule) but because I can’t just force myself to write something good enough to share if I don’t have anything to write about. A week can go by without me sharing a post on No Lifeguard on Duty and yes, it will bother me, but I wait for it to come to me. So, by structure I guess I mean that it has provided me with something that I always fall back on when I need something to do or to take my mind off of things. There is one time daily where I find myself tweaking and checking up on my blog and that would be once I go to my room at night. I like to write before I go to bed - prime time.
It helped me realize what I want to do later in life
I say I love to write. And I do. But this blog really helped me narrow down what types of writing I like to do best and that would be lifestyle, features and obviously...writing all about college. People ask me what I want to do with my journalism major and assume that I want to go write for a big time paper. As amazing as that would be, I’m not sure that would be for me. A week or so ago, I was in bed about to fall asleep when I had this lightbulb moment. Or maybe it was in the shower - both are great think tanks. Anyways, I realized that what I really want is to be able to write about my college experience over all four years in depth and be able to help and guide college students forever and ever. It’s what I love to do the most. I picture myself on a book tour, visiting and speaking at colleges, having products to sell. I wish I could speak more to that but I literally have no idea what I would actually be doing. So. Stay tuned. But it’s going to be awesome.
I’m basically like an entrepreneur on Shark Tank minus the Shark Tank part
A few months after I made Operation Happiness I was already planning and designing hats and t-shirts. Obviously, they never happened, but my point is that I was five steps ahead. At the end of April, I created a line of stickers that I am in LOVE with. Don’t worry, I’m in the works of creating more. I’ve also experimented with making notecards, sticky notes, journals. I want to make sweatshirts, hats, conversation cards and of course, write a book. I can see Operation Happiness or Smile it’s good for you or even FRICK becoming a brand name in itself and it’s fun to think about. You have to think big people! Dream big!
It taught me a new skill
I don’t mean to brag...but I made my website all by myself. Bill Gates, watch out. I’m the type of person who hates not being able to do things by myself. It’s not that I don’t want to ask for help; I have no trouble doing that. It’s that I am such a control freak that I like to know that things will be done when I want them done and exactly the way I want. I am still finding new tools and little tricks on Squarespace and I get so excited every time. If anyone reading this wants me to help them make a website, PLEASE reach out. I find it to be so fun and relaxing and I would love to help.
It makes other people happy
I think that originally, this blog was something I made for myself. It was something that I needed to have as an outlet and a distraction. And to be honest, I didn’t even think that that many people outside of my friends would care about it. So, to have people from my high school, old sleep away camp, even freshman year of college that I was never super close with follow the blog, send me a message saying they loved a certain post or just love what I am doing in general, is just so NICE. Seriously, just so nice. I like to think that a lot of what I write is relatable. The whole reason why I created College Confessions was because I wanted people to know that it was okay to have a problem while away at school and that it is much more common and usual than they thought. If I can just make one person feel better, the job is done.
It makes me happy
Man, what a bummer it would be if my own blog called Operation Happiness didn’t make me happy. Lucky for me, it continues to make me happy every day. I am constantly thinking about it, ways I can make it better, new ideas, etc. When I’m in a bummed out mood, I scroll my website. When I’m bored, I scroll my website. When I’m trying to fall asleep at night, I’m thinking about scrolling my website. I am a little obsessed. Sorry I can’t help it. Having something like this is so therapeutic and relaxing, being able to pick colors, fonts, size, logos, placement, everything. It’s amazing.
So, if you take anything from Operation Happiness at all, it’s this: Make a blog. Make something that is your own, for you to work on, update, share. It’s special and it feels good. Whether you are bored, lonely, need a new project or feel like something is missing, this is the gig for you!
