I hate so much about blogging.

I hate tweeting, promoting, gramming, and pinning.

I hate begging for likes and comments and watching my blog traffic sink to its lowest levels in three months.

I hate fiddling over search engine optimization techniques and building faulty WordPress Plugins.

I hate competing for social media space with bad bloggers and fake promoters (and losing to them).

I hate it all.

Yet, here I am, nearly six months in to this blogging venture and I’m more motivated than ever to make it work – no matter how painful.

In fact, right now I sit in the solace of my studio apartment trying to figure out how to make my next blog post go “viral” on Pinterest. What’s WRONG with me! Pinterest!

This isn’t why I started this blog.

I started this blog because I knew I had a voice that other twenty somethings could relate to. I wanted to encourage and inspire other Millennials through my own quarter life struggle.

I wasn’t sure how the blog would do. Did I think the blog would jump to the top of the Google ranks? Did I think it would blow up? No, of course not.

But I did think that blogging would be easier. I knew that I loved writing. And I knew I had points to make. What I didn’t realize was the pain of promoting it and the difficulty of competing in such a saturated corner of the Internet.

Quite frankly, I know my content isn’t “shareable” or “snackable.” I know that it reads more like a journal than a helpful, well-structured blog post.

But every time I sit down and try to write a “proper” blog post about “20 Blah-Blahs to Do Before You Turn 30” I freeze. I write one line and then erase it. I tinker and twiddle with it until I get so frustrated I throw my laptop aside.

Those posts don’t come from the heart. They don’t allow me to spill my emotions on this page for you. They seem more of a chore than a creative outlet.

So in the end, maybe Straddle The Line is more for me. Maybe I need it as a release of my inner thoughts. Maybe my readers can’t learn anything tangible from this. Maybe this is just a one-man quarter life crisis show and everyone wants to see how it ends.

Well, I’ll tell you this. It won’t end here. I am NOT giving up. I am going to keep blogging. I just need to make it enjoyable and sustainable again.

Because, I DO believe in my message. I believe in striving for a better life surrounded by my passions.  I believe in every word I’ve put on these pages and in the small community I’ve built because of this blog and in the newsletter I’ve created to help other driven Millennials.

Through this blog, I‘ve made a number of new connections from around the world with people that are going through these same thoughts as me. They wrote to me because they connected with my story. They admired my authenticity, introspectiveness and courage.

So while I don’t know how to out-pin, out-tweet or out-market other bloggers, I do know that by giving my readers my authenticity that I have created a deeper connection with them than the typical shareable content posted by other bloggers ever can.

In this sense then, it appears that I am accomplishing what I set out to do. And I want to continue. I still want to empower and encourage other Millennials to seek their own purpose in life.

And it’s not that I have all the answers. In fact, it’s probably clear to you by now that I don’t have them at all. Like you, I am wrestling with the same quarter life questions.

But what if we try to figure this out together? What if we can collaborate and grow here in this small community?   What if we can make a difference in each other’s lives?

Now that is a cause I can get behind. That is a cause that will help me overcome my hate for so much of the blogosphere.  That is reason enough for me to keep blogging and keep fighting.

So now I look to you. Will you fight this battle with me? Will you join me so we can navigate this quarter life crisis together?  Will you be a voice in this community?