Happy New Year from The Shoe Snob aka Justin FitzPatrick

Another year has gone by and much like the last year, a lot was experienced. I have always told myself I think that I perform better while dealing with adversity. If life is too smooth going it becomes too easy to take it for granted and forget what we have and appreciate it. And while there has always been something that was extremely challenging in my life, I must say that 2016 took the cake. I remember writing last year that 2015 was really tough and that I felt that 2016 was going to be my big break, but little did I know it was only the beginning to all of my personal turmoil. I won’t bore you with the details but it has been tough. But my father always taught me that it was not what happens to you in this life but rather how you handle what happens to you that makes you who you are. So I continuously try to remain positive and keep fighting the good fight towards true happiness.

And yes, due to my struggles (as well as my success in business) in 2016 the blog has struggled. I find it hard to find the 4 hours in a day that it takes to write a long post, the desire to research like I used to, to find new subjects to touch on that I have yet to already, more photos that are not the same thing that I have done before and so on. But I never plan to quit the blog so I know that in 2017 I will find the inspiration and time to get back on top and fulfill the duty that I set myself to be the biggest shoe blog in the world where everyone can come and find an answer to any question they may have. The desire to fulfill that role will never die so bear with me during times of struggle in my personal life and trust that I will get back to where I should be with all of this!

But with the bad must come the good too. And I do not forget that. My son is healthy and happy which for me is number one. My business is doing phenomenally, which I thank all of you for. And the better that it does, the more we are able to hire new bodies the more chance I will have at giving back to the blog.

In 2017, I really feel that it has to go up as I cannot get much lower. And I hope that all of you know how important it is to me that you show up to read my writing, my rants, my struggles, my shoe education and sometimes just see the pictures I post. It means a lot that you care and appreciate what I do. And I thank you for that and hope that you never feel that I take it for granted. As I do not. That is why when even though my life feels like a roller coaster, I still care to come here and write for all of you. So thank you to those still reading.

I share my feelings and experiences with you to let you know that I too am just a human being like you who experiences highs and lows in life. Sometimes I feel that people in the journalistic industry put themselves on a pedestal with comparison to their readers, like they are superior and I find that wrong. We are all the same: just people. And I am no different.

So here is a toast to 2017 being a happy and healthy year for everyone. And again, I truly thank all of you that come here to share my experiences, not only in the shoe industry but also my personal ones. Your support means more than you know!

Happy New Year

Justin FitzPatrick, “The Shoe Snob”