Here it goes again. That was my one thought as I considered the long-term path of my blogging. Many, many years ago, I’d started out blogging about my life. No focus. I got a new website and narrowed my focus to writing. I was a writer, after all. Shouldn’t that help? Turns out, no. While I’m indie published and versed in what it takes to write and produce a novel, I wasn’t a recognized expert at it. I shifted again, but it was like looking at a projector image—out of focus. Then it came to me. Authenticity and encouragement.

Why authenticity and encouragement?

It’s a great question and one I asked myself. I thought about all of the blogs out there. One of my favorites is the (in)courage blog. Matter of fact, I like them so much that I tweet about them on a regular basis. I started checking out other blogs related to encouragement. Lots out there for women. And followers of Christ.

But what about men? And those who aren’t followers of Christ? And where, exactly, do my gifts lie? Then I found it.

We all crave authenticity. We need encouragement. Big time

Am I the expert on authenticity and encouragement?

I’m not a psychologist or a life coach. I don’t have a long string of letters behind my name. Instead, I’m a traveler on this earth and in this life, who has a genuine desire to live authentically. I want to be true to who I am as a child of God (more on that in another post).

I’m also someone who loves to be an encourager. It’s a spiritual gift of mine, and it took years for me to acknowledge it and then figure out how to apply it (more on that in another post as well).

So really, who am I?

I’m a child of God. I have a loving husband, two fur children, and other family in the area.

I love my day job. I’m also passionate about my writing as a suspense novelist. On-the-Edge Suspense is one of my taglines.

I also love to have an active, full life. Sometimes, that can create tension, hence the other part of my tagline, On-the-Edge Living.

Throughout it all, I want to be true. True to self. True to others. I do my best to understand myself and others.

What’s my mission related to authenticity and encouragement?

I hope some posts will provide encouragement where encouragement is needed especially if we find ourselves in tight spots or facing mountains in our lives.

I hope some posts will provide insights into ways to be authentic.

I hope other posts will bring laughter or at least smiles because face it, we can find ourselves in humorous situations, and humor is contagious.

Finally, I hope my posts will create thoughtful conversation, either via this blog, e-mails, or with others.

Authenticity and encouragement. We all need it. This world needs it. May it be found here.

Question: When did you realize you needed to adjust the direction of something you were doing?