Truth and Cake reached 10,000 subscribers this morning. I’m taking a moment to celebrate. The number doesn’t really matter—to some that’s a little and to some it’s a lot. This moment on my journey does.
 
When I started blogging, I had no idea what would come of it. I had no grand plan, just thought I’d be blogging to my best friend for a while judging by the trajectory of the blogs around me. I wasn’t expecting 20,000 people to rock up to my second blog post in a span of 48 hours. When I took a year and a half off from blogging to heal from my divorce, I remember thinking to myself, “Well, there goes that. You can’t stop writing for that long and expect anyone to stick around. And besides, no one’s going to like the divorced version of you.”
 
Three months after beginning again, here’s what I’m learning:
 
Show up. It doesn’t matter if it’s pretty and perfect. It matters that it’s you. You are enough just as you are and the world can learn a lot from your imperfections. (This post = written in 15 minutes, right after a well-meaning lady aggresively shoved contact lenses into my eyes for the first time in my life. My eyes burn. It’s messy. I’m hitting publish anyway.)
 
We’re great at waiting and planning and getting it right. We’re also great at jumping ship when something doesn’t take off right away. Stay with your gift. Honor it. You’ll know when it’s right before others do. I knew the moment I hit publish on my first blog post (the one that got only a few views). I could feel in my bones that this was a true expression of me.
 
If it doesn’t feel like that, ask yourself why. What are you trying to prove? Who are you trying to be?
 
I see so many people who are hiding their gifts or trying to do it the way everyone else is doing it. The world doesn’t need any more “Ten Ways” lists. It needs your truth. Someone out there is dying to read about your experience. Or watch it. Or touch it. Or experience it in whatever way you make it.
 
Our expression connects us. Our fear isolates us.
 
Forget the outcome. Tune out the noise. Speak the thing your soul is longing to say. Sometimes we wait to see if the waters are safe—let someone else be eaten by a shark first, right?
 
Remember this: it’s all invented. Every word. Every rule. Every success.
 
The only real sharks are in your mind. By going first, you give others permission to go too.
 
Go first.
 
Blogging has changed my life. It gave me a voice when I felt isolated. It’s grown my confidence. It’s connected me with amazing people from all over the world. And it’s shown me that magic can happen when you show up as your true, messy, glorious self.
 
Thank you for reading, for subscribing, for sharing your thoughts here. This blog wouldn’t be what it is without you. Your words and presence live in my heart.
 
So…
 
What would you create if you didn’t have to get it right?
 
What’s dying to be born?
 
Tune in. Silence the shark.
 
Go first.