31 Things I Know Now That I’m 31: #10 — No One’s Harder On Me Than ME.

In my ideal world, I’d be blogging every day with months of content queued up so I could spend my days exploring other interests, and living my life like a normal person — like those people I see on Netflix who go to bed at reasonable hours and look so well-rested when they get into the office in the morning. I wouldn’t be plagued by piles of ideas large enough to keep a fire going a few nights, thinking all these half-written posts good enough to start from… but usually just ending up with more half-written posts. I’d never suffer bouts of writer’s block, feeling like I’ve said everything worth saying with a tired and heavy soul unable to keep up. I’d never feel overwhelmed by all this work that feels undone, chasing after resolution that constantly feels out of reach, taunting me with visions of what life could be like if I could just get my act together. I feel like there’s just so much I could do if the cards played out a slightly different way, not making it as hard to get things done in a life trying to pull me in so many directions.

But this is the life I have, and the hand dealt to me to live it. It’s up to me to do what I will with it all, using every last thing I have in me to do the very best I can with what days I have.

Ain’t no one gonna make your life easier for you but you.

“Hi, Haters!” — Why You Have No Idea What it’s Like to Take a Walk in My Shoes.

I’m always rubbing someone the wrong way — my son when I’m not up to an aimless walk around the block; my wife when I’ve spent yet another night chasing my muse for the ultimate blog post; my parents when I don’t call enough; my bosses when I choose my family over the job… it’s like they say — you’re never going to please everyone.

I wish the answer was as simple as doing things that make you happy, but as you grow older and take more responsibility on, that path to enlightenment isn’t as straightforward as it once was.

But yet and still, people act like they know what it’s like to be me. What it’s like to balance the time invested with my son with dedicated time for Sarah, time to get all the tasks done at work, and time to work on the #BloggerLife, pushed aside to whatever free time I’m lucky enough to find. What it’s like to constantly shoot for the stars despite the friend, foe and family alike who swear that I won’t make it. What it’s like as the only one who can see my vision, knowing that every little thing I do brings you one step closer to where you want to be, but the journey there requires perpetual patience, unlimited effort, and the willingness to believe in myself even when everyone else writes me off.

The haters gonna hate, and there’s nothing I can do to change that — the only one I’m in control of is myself, and I’ve gotta continue making every day as productive as possible if I eventually want to shape my world exactly how I want to.

#SorryNotSorry — Why I’m Going to Keep Doing What I Do. (Hint: It Has to Do With Being True to Myself.)

So I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I can’t produce content every day like I’ve got nothing else to do with my time. I’m sorry that I’m so adamant about quality  that I’d rather not post anything for weeks than put out something I find mediocre. I’m sorry that I choose to prioritize time with my family, putting food in their mouths and clothes on their backs over the utter grind of blogging, with the image editing, spitballing ideas and social sharing I love doing, but never find enough time to keep on top of.

But most of all? I’m sorry that people feel the need to hate when they haven’t walked a day in my shoes.

[Tweet “I’m sorry that people feel the need to hate when they haven’t walked a DAY in my shoes.”]

They say that if you’ve got yourself some haters, you’re doing something right, and if that’s the case — I’ve made the right move a few times over.

But that’s the least of my concerns — marriage and fatherhood definitely changed me: I’ve got less time to work on this hustle as I place more stock into my relationships as a family man, but the content takes more time to create as I’m finally working toward something real… not the mediocrity I chased as a lifestyle and event blogger pre-parenthood.

I know what I want and the place I want to get to, but what does it matter how long the journey takes? As long as I get there while keeping my family afloat and handling all the things I have to do in this life, who can say I did it wrong?

But after all that, if you’re still hating, let me tell you this: if you have enough time to tell me what I’m doing wrong in my #BloggerLife, maybe you should use it to take a look at what you’re doing.

The moment I stopped eyeballing my fellow bloggers and focused instead of being the best Casey I possibly could, I experienced success unparalleled by anything I’d seen before. The sooner you take care of your own affairs, the less those of others even bother you.

[Tweet “Those who can, do. Those who can’t meddle ’cause they WISH they could.”]

Those who can, do.

Those who can’t meddle ’cause they wish they could.

Go do something. Be somebody. Hating leaves you nothing but empty-handed.

Until the next,

–case p.