Last updated on March 30th, 2021 at 10:14 pm
I’ve written this post more than a dozen times this week, piecing thoughts together from a million directions to figure out what comes next. Fresh from a summer of contests, events and family gathering, I spent a lot of energy killing it these past months, leaving me unsure what’s left in the tank to see this momentum through the year’s end.
Brand development’s a marathon, not a sprint. You might have some hot content one day and trick yourself into thinking you can strike lightning twice with the piece after that, and again with the one after that.
But creating amazing work is seldom so simple, and I don’t care whether you’re writing your first blog post or you’re raking in more than most people’s mortgage payments every time you hit “Publish”, all content creators need reminding that not everything they put out will be mind-blowing… and they need to learn to accept that.
Getting Used to the New Casey Palmer

At this point in my life, my story’s that of a man who’s trying to raise a family, working entirely too hard, and far too ambitious for his own good, convinced her can do anything if he only uses his mind, time and effort to make it happen.
When I see the trips my fashion blogger friends take, or some food bloggers I know are hanging with chefs like Susur Lee, I catch myself thinking, “I need to step my game up! I need to show these bloggers what I’m really packing and tell ’em what time it is! I need to get my hands on all the opportunities and all the things!”
But come on—let’s be real.
There aren’t too many big-name bloggers I know who haven’t made blogging their full-time gig, or used a blog as a launchpad into doing something full-time that started with the words on their screen. Trying to blog daily’s already admirable—I tried to do it in 2011, and only hit 324 of the year’s posts. But trying to do it while working a full-time job takes a ton of hard work and discipline. And to add parenthood on top of that?
Some days it feels like success isn’t even an option.
But then I take a few deep breaths, look at myself in the mirror, and remember it’s not all about the glitz and glamour.
Free stuff is nice—getting paid to write content is even better—but that’s not what people relate to. People want to hear about the time you went away to a writer’s retreat to get some quality time in with your writing, only realizing after the 3-hour drive that you’d forgotten your laptop’s power cord, and the outdated battery only gives an hour of juice to work with.
People want to hear about the time your brother changed his cell phone number without telling anyone in the family, leading to them scouring the lands to see whether he’s still breathing for fear than an angry ex-girlfriend had exacted their revenge, leaving his corpse in a ditch for us to find.




People don’t want to hear about your #BloggerLife and all the stuff you get that you think they should get with a little disclaimer at the bottom of all your posts—they want to hear about your life and maybe even share their experiences with the things going on when you’re not dealing with life in the blogosphere.
Any blogger can write a good story if they try hard enough—use good grammar; be emotionally compelling; and don’t be long-winded when driving your point home.
But it takes truly gifted bloggers to find beauty in the utterly mundane, touching on things we’re all thinking, but too often lack the words to give it voice.
And that’s what I should strive for as a Dad blogger—everything else is just window dressing.
The Path Ahead….
Once upon a time, in an age where tweetups were all the rage and Twitter wasn’t the self-promotional tool it is now, I’d think nothing of going out 4 or 5 times a week, soaking in what Toronto had to offer and never having a shortage of adventure to write about.
Now that my story’s changed, I need to change right along with it and see the world in a different light to find new inspirations for the stores I share—less waiting for the next awesome email to come in, and more appreciating what I already have in all its abundance.
And if that isn’t a life lesson, I don’t know what is.
Until the next time,
8 replies on “What Comes Next? Rethinking My Blog!”
Excellent! That was the one word I wanted to type to express what I thought after reading your blog. The comment box needed a few more. I agree with what you have written. Too many of my friends sit at their computers for hours waiting to see what drama is going on in lives of their friends and foes. Technology is exceptional if you prioritize things in your life and use it when actually needed. Playing with your children, going for a walk with a loved one, visiting a parent or sitting with a friend just to chat for awhile seem difficult for many to do lately. Unfortunately, these wonderful times seem to have been lost recently for those who have gotten themselves addicted to the computer. People need to re-evaluate what is important to them. Totally agree with your writing.
Heh, thanks Tammy 🙂
You’re right — it’s far too easy to get wrapped up in things happening online that we neglect the stuff happening all around us. I know for myself, I need to get back to working out and addressing a number of to-dos I’ve turned a blind eye to for far too long… I just hope to get my ideas sorted out so I can give everything the focus it deserves 🙂
Thanks for the comment — it really made my morning!
Love this post, Casey. Looking forward to reading whatever comes next!
Thanks, Kate — always appreciated 🙂 I’m just gonna keep working on things for now until it all seems to click! Lots of ideas, lots of things I’ve promised to deal with — just need to hack away at it bit by bit.
Hope you’re doing amazingly!
Wait, what? You get free stuff???? Cool.
;P
Write on, MacDuff…. it’s lovely to read.
HA! Sarah, I dare say that’s a gross oversimplification of my situation! I prove an audience in exchange for the occasional goods and services 😛 I’ve simply established a good conduit for my efforts outside of daytime hours 😉
And thank you — it’s something I plan to continue for some time yet!
Ahhhh! Little Casey’s so cute!
And you’re son is sooo adorable!!!! I hope you have plans to turn out more. The prototype is too cute.
Ha ha ha! Thanks on all fronts, Jen 🙂
My wife is from a 4-kid family and my family has 3, so it’s unlikely we’ll leave him to be an only child. Just gotta wait and see where fate takes us!
Thanks for stopping by 😀