Don't Be Afraid to Share Your Passions

Every single one of us has something that's important to us. A piece of our lives that defines us. Something that sets us apart from others, that makes us unique. That's what makes us so interesting as people. But oftentimes I find that people hide those things from others. They don't want to share because they're afraid of what others will think. We've all done it. We've all been there. I think it's actually quite prevalent here in the book blogging community. I've heard countless bloggers say that they don't share their blog with their friends and family in real life because they're embarrassed or think those people won't "get it". Well let me tell you something, they probably won't get it. They may not even read it. But even though they don't get it, I think you'll be surprised at the response you get. 

I don't hide my blog from anyone. In fact, I do the opposite. My blog comes up often in conversation because it's such a huge part of who I am. My blog is more than just a fun hobby for me. It may have started that way, but over the course of almost three years, it's become a passion. It's become an outlet for me. I get to talk about books, something that I love, but I can also post things like this and share my thoughts on general life things. My blog is a place where I can be 100% me. And I don't want to hide that from my friends and family. So I talk about it. All the time. And then I give people the url so they can go check it out. 

I'll admit, the first few times I did this was scary. I wondered if they would hate it, if they would think it was stupid. And I didn't want them to criticize it because it is so important to me. But I was pleasantly surprised by the reaction I got from people. They thought it was interesting, cool, different. Of course, I still occasionally get those sidelong looks like "Huh? Blogging? Is that still a thing?", but I've learned that there are always going be haters out there and I'm not going to let them stop me from pursuing my passions and enjoying life. But the haters are the minority. Most people immediately perk up and start asking me a million questions. And they think it's cool! Which of course, only spurs my confidence and makes me want to blog more. 

My point is, even though it can be scary, don't hide something that's important to you. You should be sharing your passions with your friends and family. And honestly, if they really care about you, they won't tease you about it. They'll embrace it with open arms. You have to own it. You have to be confident about it. When those few haters do give me the side eye, I look them straight in the face and tell them that this is what I love doing and it's something I've worked really hard at and continue to work at every single day. And that side eye changes to a bit of respect nine times out of ten. 

Your internet friends all embrace you for who are. Your family and friends will too. 

Do you share your blog with people in your real life? Why or why not?