Starting a blog! But why now?

Have you ever started something but you felt scared to put it out to the world and you froze?

Well, if you have been there then you know what I have been through and you know it isn't easy. However, in life, it is in these moments that you learn and grow the most and that my friends, has been my journey in starting a blog.

Starting a blog

A bit more than a year ago, was when I started. I thought about the name, bought the domain, and started designing something that looked very different from what is now the official site. But fear and doubt crept in, life happened and a year later I found myself in the same place.

But there was something different this time around. After a year of thinking about it, I had the certainty that this is what I wanted to do. It was all I could think about and it was becoming an obsession of mine. And then the worst happened. The coronavirus was all we as a whole could think about.

With the virus taking over our lives and dictating what we can and cannot do, I decided to postpone it once again and wait for it all to be better.

But when will it all be better? When will we go back to some sort of normalcy and life as we know it?

I started fearing that my doubts would creep in and I would once again be waiting another year or more to start my blog. And then one day, after a long telephone call with my sister I decided there is no better time than now. If I keep putting it off it will never happen, or rather it will be the blog to celebrate my one-hundredth birthday.

Why now?

The other factor in my decision to start a blog now is that this year marks my fifth anniversary living in London. In June 2015, I arrived in London to experience living in a new country by myself. I had moved before in my life from Portugal to Cape Verde to the US but this time I was moving alone. The decision to move was not easy. I was leaving behind my family and friends (some of which are more like family than they know) and coming to a city I had never even visited before.

However, something for a long time was telling me that it was a move I had to make. For a few years, I would have the nagging at the back of my head that it was an experience I had to have. So, I packed two suitcases with everything I owned and moved to London. Being a minimalist and not owning too many things was a bit of a blessing when it came to packing.  

Now, five years later I live and work in London but I still discover new things and places wherever I go. London is truly a unique city and exploring it is one of my favorite things to do. During my first years here, I focused on exploring, and now I am focused on building my life in London.

I started to settle into a lifestyle. I started to make decisions less based on the moment but based on the life I wanted to build. I started to live a more conscious lifestyle.

Moving out of my comfort zone forced me to truly listen to myself. To go deep and figure out what is important to me and what I want to accomplish. I must say that what is important to me now was not as important 5 or 10 years ago. 

Yes, some things will never change, like my love for my family or my (slight) obsession with food. But I am different in many ways. I am building a life based on core principles that I want to share with you so that your journey can be a bit easier. 

So why start a blog now?

Why not? Life does not stop for us and there is no better moment than now. So here I am, starting a blog in the middle of the pandemic because it will bring me happiness, a bit of purpose, and a sense of accomplishment. And right now I believe we all need some good feelings.

So I picked a date that meant something to me, my fifth anniversary and I am starting my blog and inviting you to join me.