I launched this blog some time ago with enthusiasm and fanfare. I was so happy to finally have a personal space on the world wide web of my own that didn’t belong to my company or my clients. I was so excited to have a place to share my personal thoughts and interests and was chomping at the bit to get it going. I registered my domain, got web hosting setup, installed Wordpress and configured all the cool-kids plugins… stuff I could do with my eyes closed because I have been doing it for other people for over a decade. So then I was already to take off, shoes laced tight, feet in the starting blocks, gun raised in the air and ready to fire and then….

Nothing. Absolutely. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zero. Z— you get the idea.

I realized very quickly that I had done all the easy stuff, all the technical stuff. But none of that was going to help me be a better writer, a better communicator, a better relationship-builder or a better blogger. I had not taken the time to find my focus or my niche. I had no clue what I really want to write about or who I wanted to talk to and with, and so I floundered in the vast expanse of potential. Without a focus, or a “why”, I had nothing to get me started, much less to keep me going. If it weren’t for a couple of slick plugins for Twitter, I would still only have one post to read at all, ONE POST!!  Sheesh, talk about a big fat disappointment.

But in preparing for another online venture called Our Road to Wealth, I began reading a lot of new material. A new friend on Twitter, @ericgoldstein, recently told me that “Leaders are Readers” and you better believe that I have been doing my fair share of reading lately. I already love to read, but had been taking some time off because I was starting to suffer from an insatiable appetite for information, but that information wasn’t necessarily being translated in knowledge (there is a big difference!). But I digress… One of the best resources that I have come across so far is Ramped Blogging by Robb Sutton. It is a free ebook that is absolutely jammed packed with information and step-by-step instructions for everything from blog topic brainstorming (exactly what I am writing about here) to promotion and monetization. I am only a couple of weeks into it, but I already know that it will be my go-to guide for the foreseeable future.

Maybe you have guessed it already, but the VERY FIRST aspect that Robb covers is choosing the right niche topic for your blog, but it is also the VERY FIRST thing that I did not do. And without purpose or direction I was in danger of having a perfectly setup and configured blog gathering dust on the server farm at my hosting company. Since I almost went down that road, please take it from me that having a definite purpose and subject matter for your blog, or any other site you may have in mind, will be like the first button on your dress shirt…. if you don’t get it right then all of your remaining efforts might possibly be in vain.

“OK John, we get it… have a focus. So WHAT is yours?!”

I thought you would never ask.  I want to devote a separate post to my niche in detail, but I do want to go ahead and let you know so that you can prepare yourself for the awesomeness that is to come. After brainstorming through my passions and the things that occupy my time and thinking, I realized that I am VERY passionate about eating healthy,working out & strength training, and living for total wellness. About a year ago I lost a considerable amount of weight (a little over 50 pounds) and the difference in my quality of life was almost overwhelming. I could run fast again, I had more than enough energy to keep up with my two amazing children and I simple felt better from head to toe. I have been an athlete all my life, but I learned that I didn’t know how bad I really felt until I felt good again. And I want as many other people as possible to feel that exact same feeling, or even better!

So the focus of this site will be health and nutrition, and more specifically the challenges of healthy living, eating and exercise for parents of young children and busy couples.  I will continue to refine the exact topics that I will be writing about and videoing, but the healthy and wealthy lifestyle will definitely be the core foundation. It feels great to finally have a direction and a definite purpose for this site. I can’t wait to talk with you more about it!