The other day, someone asked me, “How long have you been blogging?” When I counted again, it turned out to be eight years already. I started this blog in June 2017. I was genuinely moved realizing how long it’s been.

Maybe I’ve Been Overthinking Lately

Lately, I find myself overthinking quite often.

For example, even small things—when I think, “Maybe I should tweet something on X,” I end up wondering, “What on earth should I write…? No, this isn’t worth tweeting about,” and before I know it, I post nothing and just become a silent observer.

At work, too, when I get a spark of inspiration like, “Ah, maybe I could try this!” I often dismiss it, thinking realistically that I don’t have the resources, so I don’t follow through.

Of course, not everything should be done, and prioritizing and choosing what fits your goals is essential. But I keep reminding myself that the lightness and willingness to take that first step—the spirit I had when I started this blog—must never be lost.

A Blog Born from a Lighthearted Start

In 2017, when our second child was born, I decided to focus fully on parenting. I had poured my heart into the company I started before, but it didn’t go well, and I realized management wasn’t for me. So, almost like a thread snapping, I became a full-time housewife.

But spending days changing diapers, cooking, barely talking to anyone, running on little sleep, picking up our eldest from kindergarten, playing at the park… I sometimes felt like I was falling apart.

“I just want to connect with the outside world. I want to connect with society.”

I think that feeling led me to start this blog.

At first, I wrote only about the Panamera. The domain name of this blog is “panamera-life” as proof. (Looking back, I wish I had chosen porsche-life, haha.)

I never imagined doing this as a team with my husband or that so many people would read it. I just started it casually, thinking I’d keep writing no matter what. (At first, it was on Hatena Blog.)

Maybe I’ve Been Overthinking Lately

In the early days, my blog barely got any traffic, and of course, no one read it. I had zero car knowledge, so I sometimes made mistakes in wording and got scolded in comments. It was a learning curve.

But even then, I had a vague dream: “Someday, I want to buy a Porsche with my own money.” It felt like a distant dream, impossible to reach.

One day, I wrote on the blog, “Someday, I want to buy a Porsche with my own money. Until then, I’ll chronicle my journey here.” After that, traffic grew, and I started receiving many encouraging comments like “We’re rooting for you!”

However, with more traffic came more criticism. I sometimes thought, “If I write, will people just criticize me again…?” and I grew reluctant to post. In fact, there was a three-month period when I didn’t update the blog at all (during the Hatena Blog days).

But after three months, seeing that traffic didn’t drop despite no new posts, I realized, “If so many people are waiting for my posts, I need to get serious about this.” I made up my mind, asked my husband for help, and from then on, it became a team effort.

I bought a used manual BMW myself and learned to drive stick shift, attended Porsche driving school, even went straight to Porsche Japan to try to get their recognition for the blog… (laughs)

Along the way, I made many connections, started a new company, and in 2023, finally got my own Porsche. That’s where I am now.

Looking back, if I had planned everything strategically from the start, I doubt it would have turned out this way.

With so many established automotive media and bloggers or YouTubers, if I had tried to analyze the market and position myself to increase traffic, I probably wouldn’t have even taken the first step. (Not that it’s about winning or losing.)

Back then, I knew nothing and thought about nothing. I just started casually. That’s why I could take that first step—and why I’m here today.

Value Comes Naturally Over Time

Recently, I had a chance to talk with a YouTuber who reads this blog, and they said something that stuck with me:

“This blog isn’t paid for reviews, so it offers honest opinions that professional automotive critics can’t write. Also, it’s not just about test-driving cars; owning and driving them long distances reveals their true value. Plus, someone who’s driven so many Porsches sharing thoughts on other cars adds unique value. This is a truly valuable blog!”

I never aimed for that from the start, but that’s how it turned out. Value isn’t something you create by aiming for it; it naturally emerges from persistence. That’s what I felt at that moment.

Now, with work and parenting, 24 hours a day just isn’t enough. Next year, my eldest will be in middle school, my second in elementary, and my youngest in kindergarten—all attending different schools with changing schedules. It’s going to get even busier. (Which means even less time for the blog…)

But once parenting settles down and I have more time, I want to update this blog more. My car choices will surely be very different then, and the world I see will have changed dramatically. (And I hope to be earning more, too.)

For that future, I want to keep that lightfooted spirit—the willingness to take that first step—alive forever. I ended up writing a lot that’s not really about cars, but thank you for continuing to follow this blog.