Anniversary Post: The Crummy Life Turns One

I think it all started out of angst. Have you ever done that? Started something because the tension you are feeling compels you to spring forward with action. To just do something.

The confusion about where to begin. The confusion about what it is all for. Then, finally, deciding it's just because that's what you want or need to do.

This is how The Crummy Life started.

The view from the room where I started The Crummy Life

I had felt a bit of shame for having failed to maintain my initial blogging effort during my maiden voyage to Thailand. Writing is something I've always enjoyed, and it feeds my inner narcissist through sharing stories and perspectives.

Today The Crummy Life turns one, so it's time to reflect on one year of blogging; how it all started, what I've gained through the experience, and where I plan to go from here.

The beginning

I was living in Chiang Mai, Thailand, which is a massive hub for the "location independent" or "digital nomad" types.

It was as if everyone had a website. I felt like bar talk was about SEO, and I couldn't hang out in the Nimman area without overhearing a conversation about a website, product launch, or at least having one foreigner fixed to a laptop with those big blocking-out-the-sound-of-the-world type headphones on.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. That atmosphere produced an overwhelming kind of inspiration to just dive into the Internet and swim through waves of digital opportunity, creating a wake of optimized content for eager readers.

However, I just wanted to share my thoughts and experiences, not necessarily make money from it. Whatever the case, I had a desire to experience a piece of what these renegades of the technology world were in the middle of.

Then, I decided I didn't really care about being in the middle of their action, because, to be honest, I couldn't play at their level. It was almost as if I was a ten year old trying to play with the high school kids.

I decided to be self taught, and to just go for it. I realized that I just really like to write, so it didn't matter if I have a purpose or plan for what it all "means" or what it was "for." Then I started a Blogger site and began to play with my ideas, because sharing my ideas with people was surely a better option than letting it all sit in my head.

So, on November 23rd, 2014, I wrote a post about pursuing curiosity, and that's how it all began.

One year later

Fast forward to today, and here I am in Florianópolis, Brazil.

I've been lucky enough to have written from four different countries, but it's not like that prevented me from writing some less than good posts. Possibly garbage, actually. On the other hand, I've written some things that have helped people, and nothing has brought me greater joy than receiving a grateful comment after someone reads a post.

Of all the hobbies and interests that have come and go over the years, writing The Crummy Life has motivated me in new ways and allowed me to use some things that I'd be doing even if I wasn't writing posts.

For example, I'd already be searching the Internet, reading articles and blogs, wanting to expand my ideas, and feeling the desire to talk about them with people. This blog has allowed me to exercise these interests and skills to start a conversation with anyone that is reading. Also, linking in resources has allowed me to connect readers with what I've found.

The process has certainly improved my writing, which was one of my initial goals. Some posts still end up like digital diary entries (like this one), but I believe they always have a purpose in mind.

Maybe I'm comparing cultures and experiences, or maybe I am providing an instructional breakdown of some complicated process, but I am always writing with the intention of helping anyone reading, and starting a conversation with them.

It's been a fun process, too. Updating the appearance of the blog, learning how to manipulate code, testing out ways to make the site more attractive and the posts easily accessible are all things I consider skill development. As simple as they may be, they are things I can do now that I couldn't before I started The Crummy Life.

This last year of blogging has also taught me that I tend to take things too seriously. The upside of that fact is that it influences me to do my best at whatever I give my attention to, and I hope you feel that when you are reading.

What's next?

In the upcoming year, I plan to make videos to accompany some of the posts. It'll give me another way to share experiences, and make the site a little more dynamic for you.

I can't say that I won't write more garbage, and when I do, just know that for some reason I was blinded by the idea that the content was important enough to share. Stay tuned for the next leg of the digital journey. Without a doubt, I'll continue to produce things that I want to share with you as if we were sitting down having a conversation.

Remember that you can always contact me directly by going to the contact page and sending me an email. I'd love to hear from you!

Lastly, I want to give you a sincere THANK YOU for being a part of my blogging experience.

See you next post!