The "Shoe Shrink" — brought to you by FootSmart

This Blogging Thing

By Dr. Paula Bloom

Just came from an interesting meeting with a new FootSmart exec. My understanding of social media, or just “social” as he referred to it (I guess it’s like Oprah, who needs the Winfrey really) was just expanded. In the past I’ve blogged for Huffington Post and PBS.org. These posts were related to mental health issues with titles such as “Am I depressed or just deep?“and “Balancing work and family” etc.

When I was approached by FootSmart to be a blogger, I was so excited. Here’s a place that carried almost all of the brands of shoes I wear. At the time, I was a few months post the purging of all the shoes that hurt — a ritual I find myself doing every few years. I was committing to be comfortable with who I am and what I wear. My closet was pretty empty and, I won’t lie, the idea of getting a discount on Born, Dansko and Aerosoles was pretty compelling.

In the past few months, I’ve been feeling less inspired about my posts. Wasn’t sure why, but now it hit me. I’ve been less connected to my love of shoes and more concerned with talking about shoes. FootSmart has never told me what I can and can’t write about. But, in my own way, I had started narrowing my focus.

As I heard Kevin talk, I realized that this REALLY is about authenticity and not merely about the appearance of such. Be honest. Tell the truth. Be you, no dimmer switch needed. Good advice for blogging. Great advice for living.

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