We all enjoy pretty pictures, instagram-able moments, and the idea that life can be perfect. But, there is so much more that goes on behind the blog. 

And now that the blog has officially launched… I feel like a sneak peek into my real life is important.

My life in D.C. had been a series of serendipitous moments. Things seemed to line up as if they were stepping stones on the perfect path… leading me to straight to a job that I had wanted my whole life – in a land that I had been dying to call home, North Carolina.

It was time. I was brave. I was bold. And, I was free.

Three years ago this month, and one year after I had moved to North Carolina, I experienced my first panic attack. If you have ever experienced anxiety, you know that it can be crippling. (To be honest, I believe that anxiety is one of the biggest signs that a drastic change is needed in our lives. The problem is figuring out how to take that next step because the panic will stop you dead in you tracks.)  After my dream job turned out to be nothing like I had pictured – anxiety suddenly became a familiar and frequent feeling.

Maybe it was because my 29^th birthday was around the corner, or maybe it was because I couldn’t believe that I was still trying to figure out life, but I was horrified about the way things had turned out.

So now what?

I started watching every TED talk that I could find about passion, growth, and fear. The talks were challenging, inspiring and motivating. Each person was more compelling than the last.  The potential was endless, but I wasn’t sure which topic to focus on first.  Eventually, I decided that I wanted to live my life pursing my passions.   (By the way, those TED talks led to some of the biggest revelations of my life.)

At the time, my love of interior design seemed like the next natural path to explore. So, I decided that the best way to exercise my creativity (and my eye for design) was to create a blog. The plan was to translate what my mind seemed to innately see into words that other people could use to design their own spaces. After a few weeks of learning about domain names, websites, blogs and WordPress, the Her Cardinal Rules blog was born. It happened in 2015 – on my 29^th birthday.

I am sure that it is hard to imagine where the past three years of my life have gone and over time I will share more.

But, I think that it is important to hold onto the idea of life behind the blog. There is so much more to each person that we meet, face that we see, or story that is told.

P.S. Stay tuned for the list of TED talks that really resonated with me. 

P.P.S. Just posted the talks! They can be found here.