When Purpose Meets Uncertainty

When taking on a new endeavor, there are so many decisions to make. So many crossroads. So many different ways to approach what you're doing. And it's so hard not to want to just do it all. Oh man—I've done a lot in a short period of time. And as I go on, I keep trying to assess whether the decisions I've made have helped me grow and move toward my goals, or if they’re just taking up my time.

One of my first big decisions was choosing to grow a pet owner education website and social media presence. I’ll explain...

Since my first child was born, I’ve wanted to create a children’s picture book. I felt it was a calling—but each year that went by, I wasn’t any closer to finding the inspiration I needed to feel like I had a story worth telling. Then one day, with encouragement from a good friend, I decided to try combining my children’s book idea with my veterinary career.

At first, it seemed like a ridiculous idea. After all, I work in emergency medicine—not exactly an easy topic to turn into a light and joyful children’s book. But several months and many, many drafts later, I decided to go for it. (More on that another time.)

Once I realized my books could entertain and educate kids about the veterinary world, it felt like such a missed opportunity not to extend that education to adults as well.

And that’s where the idea for my Critter Care Collective website began. What was originally supposed to be just an author site evolved into an educational platform—with articles, resources, and contributions from some truly wonderful people. My goal was to provide value through accurate, accessible information that pet owners could trust and turn to when they needed it.

And so, I’ve been growing and cultivating the site, reaching out to collaborators, working on social media content, and doing a lot of behind-the-scenes work. But I’ll be honest: I wonder daily if this is helping or hurting me.

Why? Because I’m new to all of this. Social media is new. Advertising is new. And my following is small, so many of my posts don’t get much reach—meaning the website isn’t serving its intended purpose. Despite that, I still spend hours creating articles and posts.

So now, I’m at an impasse. I believe the site has the potential to offer so much value. But it doesn’t fulfill me. It doesn’t bring me joy. In fact, it often drains me. Still, I hate the thought of walking away from that potential—and from the progress I’ve made. I started from scratch, knowing nothing, and I’ve grown so much.

So—for now—I keep going. I’m doing my best to streamline the process (which has helped tremendously), but I’m still unsure where this is all headed.

If anyone wants to share thoughts on the site’s purpose or direction, I’d genuinely love to hear from you. But today—as I’ve spent hours planning out the next few weeks of posts (and I’m far from done)—I’m really questioning this path.