Transmission Resumes

Welcome back,

After taking an extended break I’ve now returned, refreshed (sort of), and ready to keep up to a regular writing schedule (I think).

I always find the first post after a blogging break awkward because I feel like after taking time away you’re supposed to make a triumphant return.

But for me that means a post needs to be on an epic magnitude, providing some real value to the reader, that may at least give them something to think about to solve a problem.

But as you can tell by this opening ramble, this post isn’t going to do that!

So… where next?

During my time off I gave my site look a bit of a refresh, this was a new experience as I’m sure WordPress have made a lot of changes to the site look settings since I last messed about with these details.

I’ve made some changes to the colour to scheme to go with the blue and orange brand thing I’ve got going, though I’m certain it’s not adapted across the site correctly, so I’ll have to work on ironing out the bugs.

I’ve also taken the time to update my About page.

It can be such a boring and challenging thing to do, but I think for any blogger it’s a worthwhile exercise to look at annually as it helps reframe your mind on what you’re actually about, and gives the clarity of the topics that will be your focus.

(And if you are interested in writing a good About Me page, I have a post just for you.)

Look aside, the biggest challenge has been – “In future, what do I want to write about?”

What’s this self-improvement stuff all about anyway?

My relationship with self-improvement/self-help has changed over the past year.

I’ve been finding a lot of the advice, especially from the big mainstream names irritating.

Maybe it’s because I’m at a point where I’m pretty content with my life, so no longer seek the answers I once did.

Perhaps it’s because I’ve had more than my fair share of real life problems this year, that can’t be answered with platitudes.

Or maybe it’s because I’ve heard “no one of their deathbed wishes they’d watched more TV” more than I ever cared for.

Because this blog was started under the broad banner of being a “self-improvement blog” that put me in a touch of a quandary – how do I not become part of the noise that has been getting on my nerves?

So… AGAIN… where next?

“Find your niche, find your niche, find your niche.”

I’ve heard many blogging experts live and die under this motto because you need to be focused.

I get it.

One week you can’t write a post sharing you’re experiences training for a powerlifting competition, to next week reviewing your favourite 80’s martial arts movie, to the week after discussing the performance of your favourite sports team.

Well you can… but no one’s going to have the patience to keep following along, unless they happen to have the same hobbies as you and want to read about it.

So even before I took my unplanned/planned blogging break I began thinking about what can a self-improvement blog become, if the guy who writes it doesn’t want to talk about self-improvement anymore?

This took me right to where I began.

What made me start?

Why did I want to write about it?

What does self-improvement even mean?

It’s such a broad term that’s covers everything from mindset, to fitness, to how to bed lots of women, to much much more.

And it’s not that I HATE self-improvement, it’s what I feel it’s become today.

So if I was going to keep writing about it, I was going to do it my way – no pointing out the negative flaws of others and and making people think they have problems that don’t exist that have become rife within the subject matter.

I began thinking about what it was I sought from self-improvement, and I realised I found it most valuable for finding purpose and growth.

Also, over the past couple of years I’ve leaned into talking more about the digital content creation process – first as a blogger, then from the experiences I’ve gained from my day job.

Although this is a separation from the former mentioned, I realised how much I like talking about it, and in many ways I think I’m good at it.

As I thought more about these three areas, I decided, at least for the foreseeable future this is what I would write about.

Don’t get me wrong, I know I’ll go off topic now and again, but whether you’re a new or long established reader of Perfect Manifesto, expect to see more posts from me around:

Finding life purpose:

Finding meaning, motivation and direction (in a world that keeps telling you you’re wrong and to want more).

Growing to become the person you want to be:

Taking control of your life, finding more about who you are, not following the expectations of what others think you should be, and living up to the potential that you’ve always felt was deep down inside.

Digital content creation:

Exploring the 2023/24 content creation scene (or what was once called writing and posting online).

I’ll keep sharing tips and taking a strategic approach to your content, along with discussing various topics about creating things on the web today.

Thank you!

I’m looking forward to getting my head back into blog writing, connecting with other great bloggers, and continuing to improve as a writer.

Thank you for your continued support – wishing you the best in your success.

James @Perfect Manifesto

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