It's here... Do it like Dooley is LIVE!
A place for all my stories and ramblings! This has been a goal of mine for a long time.
This is more of a soft launch since I’m currently still working on the site as of writing this. To get the full context of what this site offers, please check out the ABOUT page.
As mentioned, building a travel blog has been a goal of mine. I am not sure even if “goal” is the right term, more like a dream. I didn’t expect to make it a reality, I didn’t think I was qualified enough. I am my own worst critic, plus I hate being in the spotlight. I wanted to thank those of you in my life who consistently show me that I don’t have anything to worry about. It’s been encouraging and I will be counting on you in the days to come!
Creating a blog about your travels does put yourself in the spotlight. There is no way around that. However, to create a successful travel blog you have to make sure your content isn’t really about yourself. Sounds contradictory but let me explain. Yes, my blog is about my travels, but I’m going to do my best to tailor the content around information that is useful to you, the reader. What good is it for you to read my blog if the content isn’t informational or at the very least entertaining? Sure maybe friends and family would read on, but most likely I would have little to no audience. So the key for me, or any blogger, is to create useful content.
Yes, I want to record and log my adventures, but if that was the sole reason then a journal would suffice. Halfway as a joke, I’ve always said I wanted to grow up to be a crazy old man with wild stories that people probably won’t believe. Sometimes I wonder how on track I am to that goal. I see so many others who seem so much more adventurous than me. Many others can afford a vast number of incredible trips, a lot more than me. Many have taken greater risks in life just to travel, while I find myself to be extremely practical, frugal, and cautionary. Yet, when I find myself in conversations with others, I have stories that some just don’t believe to be true. It’s odd because I often picture myself as ordinary. Nothing wrong with ordinary. I do work 8 to 5, in the Information Technology field, for the government. That’s pretty normal and pretty stable, but I’m always scheming of a way to break away from the routine. I’m always planning my next adventure. Whether I’m ordinary or not, I want to be able to help you do the same! I want to help or maybe even inspire you to create your own wild stories.
No matter where you are, there is a wild and crazy story just waiting to be created. I believe that beauty is all around us, and adventure can be had locally. I’ve lived all my life in Mississippi. My state isn’t exactly a tourist spot for adventure. We don’t have stunning mountain vistas or many clear bodies of water. Now before my fellow Mississippians get mad at me, I do believe there is beauty and adventure to be found here. Despite not being a top tourist attraction for nature, we have a huge population of outdoorsmen. Have you ever wondered why? Sure they love to hunt and fish, but I believe there is more to it than that. They love to be outdoors. They’re up at the wee hours of the morning sitting still and being quiet, and they live for those moments. I think that’s the key, to be still and look at the beauty you’d otherwise have missed. Whether it’s the swamps of Louisiana, or the mountains of British Columbia, the backyard or overseas, the beauty of nature is all around us.
Maybe I am the average person after all, but then that would just mean there is a majority of people like me with these feelings of “wanting to do more”, but are in just a little need of help to know what to do with those feeling. Stories are so important. Everyone’s life is full of stories and I just want to create more and help others do the same.
So the overall goal for the site is to give you useful information. I will consider Do it like Dooley a success if you find at least one thing useful from here. That could be a piece of gear you need, finding a trip you’ve been inspired to make, or maybe just find a new place to eat on your next visit. As long as it’s useful to you!
There are plenty of future goals in store for Do it like Dooley. Some obtainable shortly and some of them are grand dreams! We will see where this journey takes me and thank you for being a part of it!
Stay tuned!
