This July marked three years of blogging in this little corner of the internet that I call “SC’s Scoop” and I’m feeling a mix of emotions! Have you ever felt like you’re in a total rut or in a cycle of constant overthinking? In the past year, those emotions have come to me in waves when thinking about blogging. I have always had a bad habit of creating grand expectations for myself, but it got a little out of hand. I found myself constantly feeling like I wasn’t doing a good enough job with this part-time blogging thing. But don’t worry, I am not just here to tell you about my personal rut! Today, I’m going to open up about what this past year of blogging has really been like and share my refreshed vision for the year ahead.

When a new perspective comes from the past . . .

Over the past few months, my perspective has naturally evolved, and I have reflected a lot on how my blog is serving me. I thought about the benefits of blogging, and having a side-hustle. Blogging in general is an ever-evolving journey – like most things in life. But, to be honest, there were a lot of moments that I felt unsure if I wanted to continue blogging in this past year. I was feeling stressed out with balancing my day job and blogging. Then, I stumbled upon the quote and photo, pictured below, that I posted on Instagram one week after I just started this blog.

“And most importantly of all, find your passion. It is absolutely essential you find a way to obtain the same level of satisfaction from your work as you from your free time. To live for the weekend is, after all, to waste away 72.43% of your life.”

Beau Taplin

It’s ok to slow your roll . . .

Three years ago, I created this blog to provide helpful, insightful and entertaining content — content that leaves readers feeling like someone is looking out for them. When I saw the photo and read the quote, I was reminded why I started blogging in the first place. I realized was feeling burned out. I had also lost my focus and was holding back on executing blog ideas out of fear of doing something different. I had to break the cycle I was in, which looked something like — one minute, questioning if anyone cared what I was doing with this blog, and the next, putting a lot of pressure on myself to maintain a schedule and churn out content.

What I really needed was to allow myself to slow down and refresh my vision for this blog. Eventually, after a bit of an inner struggle, I gave myself permission to slow down and recover from the work burn out. Over the past few months, I reassessed this blog, identified what content is not serving me and made new plans for the path ahead!

Side note: I hope my transparency can give anyone who is feeling “stuck,” whether it’s with life in general or something specific, some validation and encouragement to make time to think for yourself. Blogging part-time is something I love and take seriously (maybe too much at times), but I’d be lying to you all if I just pretended that my new vision below just popped in my head one day, and it was that simple!

What you can expect from me in the next year . . .

With all that, I have to say I am excited to have a new-found perspective for blogging, and I feel more at peace with this blog’s direction. Moving forward, I plan to focus my content primarily primarily on style, beauty health and wellness, with travel and food as a secondary focus. There are several health and wellness topics I have been exploring and interested in for a while, so I’m really excited to finally share more of that.

Now, this may not seem very different for those of you who have been reading along, but the delivery of my content will also change (and I don’t mean physical delivery, like via carrier pigeon!). I plan to do a better job of letting my voice and personality shine through this blog and opening up more with you all.

You can expect to see more of my energy (and sarcasm) threaded through my content, along with more intentionality for what I share and when. This coming year, I also hope to get into a better rhythm and schedule so you all know when to expect new posts from me each week. I currently hesitate to commit to something right now because I need to catch up on a few posts I have planned, take a longer look at my ever-evolving calendar and finish updating my site. Which leads me to the final update for you all. I’ll be working through refreshing my brand and updating this blog with a new look and better organization for you to find the content you are looking for.

Now that I have shared my update on the past year and what you can expect from me on the blogging front, here are a few of the most popular posts and my personal favorite posts from the past year.

most popular blog posts of the year

• 11 Most Amazing Amazon Designer Dupes
• 10 Trendy Pieces for a Fashionable Fall
• Hello Good Hair Days: Customized Shampoo & Conditioner
• New Amazing Amazon Purchases for Style, Beauty and Home

personal favorite blog posts of the year

• Our 10 Day European Road Trip
• Braving the Wilderness Quotes & My Journey to True Authenticity
• Getting New Floors & Our Home Remodel
• Learning to Bloom Where You are Planted

If you made it through this post – thank you!! I truly appreciate each and everyone of you who takes time to read by blog posts, comment, share and tell me you enjoy them — especially those of you who’ve been doing that for the past three years!

Thank you!

To celebrate three years of blogging and show my appreciation for you all, I’ll be doing a few giveaways on Instagram during the month of August. Follow me on there and turn on notifications so you don’t miss the posts and stories announcing them.

Cheers!

Disclaimer: All  the opinions and thoughts I share are my own unless stated otherwise. I only share content that I have a personal connection with. Your clicks, comments and engagement are very much appreciated, and may allow me to receive a small compensation. Your support of SC’s Scoop and the brands I share help me keep doing what I love — thank you!