As you are reading this, my husband and I are on vacation to a place we haven’t been to before. We love discovering new places, and we especially love going to small towns, seeing what makes them tick, meeting people who own or run the restaurants and the shops we visit. We are at St. George Island, and on the mainland is a cute little town called Apalachicola, which is one place that we have been shopping, eating and yes, working (bloggers life).
We are visiting with friends who invited us to meet them here. We are great friends, and we’ve been friends for 22 years. We met while we were all living in Iowa. My dear friend’s husband, Shawn, is a business coach who helps executives with growing their businesses. These businesses often employ thousands of people, so he and I had an interesting conversation regarding what drives me to want to blog.
And because I enjoy discovering new ideas as much as I enjoy discovering new places, I thought it would be helpful to share the discussion with you; it focused on the ‘WHY’ of what motivates me to do the things I do in life. I hope it will do the same for you.
So the conversation went a little like this:
Shawn: What comes to mind when you think of food?
I was a bit thrown off with that question, so the first thing I said was.
We all need food to survive.
Shawn: What else?
Food is interesting to me and I like trying new things.
Shawn: What else?
I started to get a bit emotional, and tears started to fill my eyes.
I think of family
Shawn: What else?
I thought to myself….”what’s happening to me, why am I now crying?’
I picture my mom and grandparents cooking, and it brings me back to times with family who are no longer living or those who don’t live close by.
I’m still crying.
Shawn: What else?
I enjoy times like this, times I am with family or friends enjoying a meal together, having great conversations, catching up with those I love and care about, just chilling, eating great food!
Shawn: What else?
When we want some special time as a family, my husband and I like taking our children out of the house to eat a meal together because there are no distractions and usually this is when we have some of our best conversations.
Shawn: What else?
Really? Do you want more?
Shawn: Yes
I enjoy learning about people, even the people who make the food I’m eating or the fishermen who caught the fish I am enjoying.
Shawn: So what I hear is food brings people together, sounds like you care about building community with family, friends, and strangers. Am I right?
Yes, my family and friends are important to me, and when I think of some of my best times, it revolves around food and gathering around the kitchen or dinner table.
Shawn said this is what is going to drive you to be a successful blogger, always go back to the ‘WHY’.
And well, Shawn is right! The ‘WHY’ should be the emotion behind what drives you. It’s an emotional goal that should encourage you to be passionate about something; facts don’t often inspire a person to be excited about anything!
With that in mind, it brought me out into the little town we were visiting.
We went around the town of Apalachicola meeting the shop owners, workers, or creators like Patti, who makes and sells many of her goods at Bee Inspired Too – Handmade Wares. Patti makes handmade stationery, jewelry, and other handmade goods. She told me how she was originally from Northern California, then moved to NYC, then moved to and lived in Ft. Lauderdale for years; now she lives here in Northern Florida. Patti is one of the many local artists who sell at this store. She also has a website where you can find her goods. Here is her website
Or meeting owners like Lynn of Lynn’s Quality Oysters, Inc. Retail Market and Raw Bar, in Eastpoint, FL, where she is working and enjoys talking to her customers.
Lynn’s Quality Oysters, Inc. Retail Market and Raw Bar is a great casual place to eat right on the water; you can eat inside or outside on a picnic table that looks out at the Apalachicola Bay. You can also pick up some goods to take home or to your rental property, some fresh grouper, snapper or medium to jumbo shrimp, which are so delicious!
These are the reasons why I love my blog…I thoroughly enjoy helping others know where to go to eat or shop, to visit these great establishments and discover interesting places in our country.
I will share more about our trip in a later post, but I wanted you to know what my ‘WHY’ is; I hope my ‘WHY’ will inspire you to find your ‘WHY’ in what you are driven to do!
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