Last week marked another milestone for me and my blog. Four years ago, I celebrated my 55th birthday by pressing publish on my very first post here on Boomer Eco Crusader. What an amazing experience this blog has turned out to be! Today, I reflect on the evolution of my blog and what I’m most proud of from my four years of blogging. And of course, I’ll share my favourite posts of the past year.
Where it all started
I often think about why I started blogging. Like many others, I did it because I felt I had a message to share with the world.
At the beginning of 2019, I made a conscious choice to reduce waste and live a more sustainable life. A few months later, as a co-worker and I chatted eagerly about our ideas to reduce plastic and other waste, I realized I wanted to share my tips and ideas with others. What better way to do that than a blog!
Had I realized at the time there were many other bloggers doing just that, I might not have bothered. But, in my naiveté, I searched “how to start a blog” and started learning about the technical aspects of blogging. Then I made a list of ideas and started writing. Boomer Eco Crusader was born!
The evolution
Some people suggest defining a niche for your blog and sticking to it. For about the first year, I did just that—focusing exclusively on content related to waste reduction and green living. Personally, I think variety is the spice of life, so I decided to branch out rather than painting myself into a corner.
While I’d still say my blog’s primary focus is still about living a sustainable, simple and purposeful life, I’ve delved into many other topics. My blog’s menu is a bit like my life—a smorgasbord with a little bit of everything including money tips, career advice, health information, recipes, and life hacks.
7 things I’m most proud of
As I look back on my four years of blogging, there are so many things I’m proud of. Here are seven highlights of my blogging journey:
- First and foremost, I’m proud of myself for sticking with it. Many bloggers have come and gone over the last four years, but I’m still here and not planning to stop anytime soon.
- Blogging was never about numbers for me. If only a handful of people read my posts and take something away from them, I’ve done my job. That said, I’m happy that I’ve seen steady growth in views and followers.
- I’m a big believer in authenticity, so I’m proud of staying true to myself and not falling into the trap of trying to be someone I’m not to boost my stats.
- As a self-confessed lifelong learning junkie, continuous learning must be on this list. As I’ve been refreshing old posts, I see so much improvement in my writing skills. Beyond writing, I’ve learned about website design, SEO, marketing, Canva, Pinterest, and so much more. And there’s still so much to learn!
- At the outset, I had no idea of the wonderful blogging community that exists. I truly enjoy, and learn so much from, the blogging friendships I’ve forged.
- Last summer, I dropped a comment on a blog post by Jamie Ad Stories. That exchange led to the formation of the Climate Change Collective—a group of bloggers united behind the common goal of spreading the climate change message and sharing tips and ideas to reduce the damage humans are doing to our planet. It has been a year and we’re still going strong. If you’d like to join us, you can learn more here.
- Finally, at the beginning of this year, I launched The Sunday Spark—a weekly series with thoughts and highlights, nuggets of learning, and a sustainable living tip for the week. These posts are fun to write—I love sharing little pearls of wisdom I pick up each week.
Let’s keep in touch! Join my mailing list and I’ll email you when I add a new post.
7 favourite posts of year 4
As I mentioned earlier, for me blogging isn’t about numbers. So instead of sharing a list of posts with the most views, I’ll leave you with seven of my personal favourites of the last year.
- How climate change impacts your health…and your wallet – This was the first post for the Climate Change Collective series.
- Understanding the Diderot Effect can simplify your life
- Best homemade soup recipes to warm up winter
- 6 ways to reduce the environmental cost of experiences
- Hidden joys and benefits of sustainable living
- Simple Living Sunday – Choose the right influencers for your life
- Frugal living tips to simplify your life and save money
What’s next?
When I started blogging, I worried about running out of ideas. It hasn’t happened yet.
The Climate Change Collective has been an inspirational initiative, so I look forward to continuing that series. Plus, I really enjoy writing The Sunday Spark every week, so I expect I’ll keep that going for a while. Finally, I might also try my hand at some fiction writing…or maybe even poetry.
Stay tuned…
Thinking back to July 2019, I didn’t expect to make it to one, let alone four years of blogging. I couldn’t have done it without you! To everyone who has read, liked, commented, and shared my blog posts over the last four year…Thank you! I sincerely appreciate every one of you.
Which type of content do you enjoy the most? Is there something you’d like to see more or less of on Boomer Eco Crusader? Tell me your ideas below.
Belated congratulations, 4 years of blogging is quite an accomplishment!
I have been enjoying your blog for a while now, through a few different Sunday series. I am very much enjoying the Sunday Spark.
Thank you so much! That’s so kind of you.
Congratulations 🎉 on your blog and Happy birthday! I hope you keep blogging! Your posts are a genuine pleasure to read.
Thanks Rachel for your kind words! I don’t plan to stop blogging anytime soon.
Congratulations on four years of blogging! Love seeing some of the highlights of your journey and the writing and connections you are proud of.
Thank you Layla. It’s hard to believe it has been four years since I started.
Whoop whoop! Happy 4th blogiversary Michelle, I’m so glad you’ve stuck at it as your posts always make me smile or think or both. Hugs from Smell xx
Thanks Smell! That’s the kind of feedback I like to hear. I appreciate you being a faithful reader.
Congratulations on establishing and continuing to write a brilliant, refreshing blog. I have learned a lot from your tips and enjoy reading your anecdotes.
Thanks so much Jamie. I’m so happy to hear that. It’s these kinds of connections I’ve made that keep me going.
Kudos to you, Michelle – and I appreciate your early concern (‘will I run out of topics?’) and the realization now, four years in, that it’s not a concern. Thank you for all of your thoughtful content. So happy to have met you here! 🥰
Thanks so much Vicki! You’re right. I never seem to run out of random thoughts to share. I’m glad we connected here too!
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Congratulations, Michelle. We’ve been around the blogosphere a similar length of time. I like the smorgasbord approach while you haven’t forgotten your blogging roots. It’s natural to evolve. For me, that’s meant less time blogging and being more serious about story writing. That means changing priorities and not wasting time with other things that aren’t as important to me. Like you, numbers mean little to me. It’s about connecting with people from around the globe. Continued success and happy writing.
Thanks Pete. I’m glad we connected here and I wish you luck with your story writing!
Congratulations Michelle! I’m glad that I found your blog, or you found mine and then I jumped onboard- I don’t remember which way things went, but I truly enjoy reading and keeping up with your ideas and your life!
Hi Deb. I don’t remember who found who first either. The important thing is that we found each other. Thank you so much for your kind words!
Congrats
Thank you!
Happy Birthday! And happy four years of blogging! I’m so happy you pressed publish on that first post and that you’ve stuck with it. Blogging is a lot of work, so I’d say that’s a big accomplishment. I love all of your sustainable content and I really like your Sunday Spark posts too. I appreciate how transparent you are about your goals and what’s working/what’s not. I value honesty and vulnerability and I feel like these are both expressed in how you share about your goals.
Thank you so much! I’m so glad we’ve connected through our blogs. That’s one of the things that has surprised me the most about the whole blogging experience. There is such a wonderful sense of community here and I learn so much from every blogger and every post. Yours is one of my favourites.
P.S. We’re headed to Vancouver Island this weekend, and will be checking out some of your recommendations. 💚
I hope you have a wonderful time on your trip! I’d love to hear all about it. I’m clearly biased towards the Island, but think it’s a pretty magical place 🙂
Thank you. I will be sure to post some pictures here. We had to change our plans somewhat because of the Highway 4 closure, so it doesn’t look like we’ll get to Tofino. Oh, well. We’ll just have to go back. With Laura living in BC now, that shouldn’t be too difficult. 😀