You know that feeling when you get a nudge to do something. Maybe it’s to start a new business or to take that photography class you’ve always wanted to take. Or to go on a weekend getaway with your husband (WithOUT the kids).
Except even though you get the nudge? You ignore it.
Maybe it’s too time consuming or you fear that you might fail. Or you have never left your kids with anyone for more than 2 hours while you ran to the grocery store so the thought of leaving them for a weekend makes you want to break out in hives.
Whatever “it” is….it’s holding you back.
My “It”
As most of you know, I co-author a blog with my husband called Dollars and Roses. The original idea was this…
He is a personal finance blogger and I am a mommy blogger and we both managed to turn our blogs into businesses over the last several years. We wanted to show others it was possible and that we were just two very normal people who knew nothing about blogging before we had success. The blog was a “how to make money blogging” blog and we shared income reports, tips and tutorials on how to grow your blog and increase traffic…and most importantly? We made fun of each other along the way.
Because that’s what we do. All in good fun of course.
But one thing is certain… we never felt passionate about blogging about money. Every time I would write a post or record a podcast it became a chore. Just another to-do that I didn’t want “to do”. Literally.
Every time we would talk to other online entrepreneurs they would say, “You guys are great together! You should do more projects TOGETHER!” And as much as we loved the idea of doing things “together”, it meant that we really had to dive into our Dollars and Roses blog and take off with it. Only one minor problem? Neither of us had the desire to blog about how to make money blogging anymore.
So, we prayed about it, took several months off from writing and recording podcasts, and one day we decided…
Let’s listen to that nudge we’ve had over the last year.
Let’s write about marriage. Let’s share our journey, the good, the bad, the realness behind what it takes to make a marriage work, let’s write about all of it.
Except remember that “it” that I was referring to? Well, that “it” for us was fear. We were scared to change the direction of an already established blog. We were scared people would hate it. We were scared it wouldn’t be accepted. We were scared of what people would say about us being so open about our marriage.
We were scared.
Listen To The Nudge
We started to think about what we wanted our legacy to be and it didn’t involve showing people how to make money online. There are plenty of amazing online entrepreneurs that are doing that (and much better than we were).
We wanted to touch people on a different level.
It’s funny that it took us nearly five years to figure out what Dollars and Roses really meant to us, but now that we know? It feels so right. I know that may sound cheesy, but it just feels like we are finally doing what we are being called to do.
It’s a big leap of faith to do an ENTIRE rebrand, but we are trusting that God is leading us in this and that we will be able to reach more couples and more marriages by using this blog as a platform for God’s glory.
We appreciate and love every single one of you who have supported us thus far and have written us to let us know that you got value out of Dollars and Roses. Our prayer is that you will get even more value out of The Love Habits and Love Challenges that we are launching!
The NEW Dollars and Roses
The goal of Dollars and Roses will be to show you how to MAKE YOUR MARRIAGE MORE! To help you design YOUR perfect marriage.
Our marriage is far from perfect. But, to us, a perfect marriage is more than one without struggles and triumphs. We’ve used the mistakes we’ve made as a way to grow and become closer. We hope we can show you how to do the same.
We want you to know that your marriage isn’t failing, your desire to have “more” in your marriage is normal and that we are here, in the trenches with you, praying and guiding you through the struggles and happiness.
Our new podcast is called Marriage More (duh!) and you can find it here.
Stephanie Acevedo says
this sounds like something i will deffinetly enjoy. I am 24 yrs old, have 3 kids and have been with my husband for almost 10 yrs. I feel like everytime something goes wrong i just simply want to quit! I feel as if maybe we have been together since such an early age that maybe its time to move on and know other people. But just the thought of moving on makes me nervous and i keep holding on to my marriage. I don’t believe in couples therapy and i most certainly am not the woman that talks to god because i feel like he doesn’t listen to me when i most need help or comfort. I like your blog and i know im going to love the new one. Thanks
Kelly says
I love this idea! Thank you for sharing. I really look forward to this new adventure you guys are on. And thanks for the chance at a giveaway!
Sarah says
Mandy, I’ve really been enjoying the podcast and the direction it has taken. I’ve felt very bogged down by the negative view of marriage and commitment in the media and society in general. I love being able to listen to a podcast that touts happy marriages. I wish there was more out there like this! Keep up the great work.
Andrea Worley says
I’m so excited for you guys and this new project! I love listening to your podcast and I’m excited for the new direction.
Stephanie says
Yay! I am super excited for this new adventure you are taking. I loved the Dollars and Roses podcast and info, but a lot of the fun (in addition to good info) was listening to y’all joke around. Looking forward to this 🙂
Andrea says
I am very impressed you both decided to follow your hearts. That takes faith and bravery and that doesn’t come easy. Even though 50% of marriages end in divorce, when people are having problems in their marriage it’s still taboo and kept hush hush. Getting guidance and help should be rewarded not judged. Way to go on being part of that!!
Mary Leigh says
How exciting! I’m so excited to be following along! Marriage is such a great gift and I’m excited to follow along with y’all!
Matt D. says
It’s amazing what you’re doing here. I’m sure you’ll be able to help those in a similar situation. Good luck!