Blogging Rules & Comfort Zones

There are blogging rules.
Anyone who tries to tell you differently is lying. They are lying to you to make you feel better and keep you positive and uplifted, but it's a lie nonetheless. They have really good intentions and I totally and 100% understand and love where they are coming from.
But they're lying.

Truthfully, if you been around Bloglandia for any amount of time then you know I'm right. These "imaginary" blogging rules do exist. When I first started blogging, I did what I always do - I learned the rules quickly and played by them. For the most part, I did what I thought I was supposed to do. I broke a few -

• Facebook - I don't have a blog Facebook because I don't want a blog Facebook. Keeping up with my blog emails, my blog Twitter, my blog Pinterest, and my blog Instagram is enough. In fact, it's too damn much, but I do it anyway. I'm not really a huge fan of Facebook and I barely pay attention to my own personal Facebook. I don't want to add another one. I'm not saying I won't ever have one, but I am very much saying that you shouldn't hold your breath waiting on one.
• Comments - I'm terrible about responding to them. I always say I'm going to work on it and I'll be really great about it for a few days, but then I'll get behind and then I just give up. Always happens. Also, I'm terrible about leaving comments. Guys, I read your posts. All damn day long, I read your posts. But I'm so awful about actually leaving a comment to basically let you know "hey, I read this.".. I'll work on these.

Other than those two things though, I stuck pretty closely to the rules.  Because that's what you're supposed to do, right? That's just what you do.

Except.. I don't really like that mindset anymore. Jump back with me for a second to March. I wrote a post about being brave and how I really wanted to work on being brave in 2014. I didn't just write that post to have blog material. I meant that and I haven't forgotten it. I still have "be brave" pep talks with myself, often. More often than I'm sure people in my real life realize. 

During my Be Brave Journey, I've learned so much about myself and I feel like I've grown so much this year. One of the things I've learned fairly recently is that I need to worry less about the "rules" and more about myself. 

I'm a people pleaser. I care about what others think about me. I'm self conscious sometimes. I can't take a compliment. I see my flaws more than I see my good qualities. I'm not perfect. 

However, I need to get over it. I'm being a little dramatic of course, because obviously, some of those qualities will probably never go away, which is fine. BUT.. I really do have dreams and goals and even though I keep them to myself, locked away very quietly in my heart, they exist. If I want to make anything of those dreams and goals, it is time to jump outside of my comfort zone. 

Starting with this blog. Rules? Fuck rules. 

Yea, I just broke one right there. I'm not sorry. If I can't be real and I can't be me on my own little slice of the internet, then where can I be? Who am I trying to impress? Who am I putting on an act for? Who even cares? 

My comfort zone will always be there to welcome me home.. but my adventure lies outside of it.

Be brave. Be you.

Break the rules.