I was reading and researching blogging for quite a while before I actually started my blog. And as I continue to read, research, and learn about how to improve my blog I still read about other people’s journeys to create and start their blogs. I try to answer questions and give my opinions and .02 when appropriate.

So you want to blog?

One thing I notice is that many people (and I was one of them) that are thinking about blogging, have no idea what it is they want to write about; have you read any of the “my early blog days” posts? I thought I wrote well and I was happy with what I wrote (I still like them). but what I was doing was more like an online diary. But that’s ok.

There IS a niche for that – it’s called ‘Personal Blogging’. But I wanted my blog to be so much more. I wanted it to be a place to look for advice, answers, and information.

What do you want to share with others?

Many posts about starting a blog will tell you to pick an area that you’re an expert on or have a lot of experience and can become an expert in. If the niche you choose has many categories that will fit (such as parenting, food, lifestyle, travel, and so many more) start broad and narrow down your niche as you grow.

As I continued to write posts, research, and chat with other bloggers, I thought of all the things I have experience in; parenting, partner addiction, single parenting, fostering relatives, finances, relative care and so much more. But as my children were pretty much all adults now (Dakota was almost 17 when I started getting serious about turning blogging from a hobby into a full-time income), I didn’t want to write about parenting. I carefully considered each topic I thought of, discarded some, and finally decided on a few categories I felt confident enough to help people with.

And after all that, I made my choice.

Lifestyle & Travel. That’s my niche. That’s what I want to write about.

I will write posts about being a parent and grandparent, about finances, about cleaning and organizing the home, and about travel – I love to travel.

As I continued to write posts, I continued to research all the aspects of blogging (SEO, ranking, social media, monetization, and more). And I continued to think about my life and my niche.

Narrowing down your niche.

Then it hit me one day. What it was I really wanted to share with everyone.

I’m not an expert in having a tidy organized home. I’m not an expert in finances and retirement. I’m not an expert in traveling. But those are the things I have experience in and things I am working on.

I am an empty-nester working on my journey to retirement living life full-time traveling. My journey will be about making my current home more manageable so that I have less stress and more time. My journey will be about getting a better grip on my finances so I can retire as soon as possible. My journey will be about a single older woman learning to travel solo in a ‘camper’ (whether it be a 5th wheel, motorhome, or something else I have not decided). And my journey will include as much time as possible with my family.

Those are the things that are important to me. Those are the things I want to share and, through my journey, help others to learn. Are you ready to join me?