MY FIRST YEAR OF BLOGGING...EIGHT GREAT LESSONS I LEARNED ALONG THE JOURNEY.

Spring season.

A year ago today, I hit the publish button and published my first blog post on diaryofayummymommy.comI can't believe, it's been a year already..WOW!  What a year it has been but I must admit...I'm glad I decided to  bite the bullet and published my first blog post amidst the questions and fear I had. Happy Blogiversary to me and happy first day of spring everyone!

In celebration, on today's post I'm  sharing eight important lessons I have learned along the way. These eight great lessons, in my opinion are very much applicable to anything you decide to do in life and not just blogging. So stay latched  and enjoy!


Easter season.

START ANYWAYS, EVEN IF YOU ARE FEARFUL.

It's ok not to be perfect to start, it's ok to start scared and it's ok to start fearful of the unknown. For most of us feeling fearful of new things, new journey and of the unknown is normal. What is not normal is letting fear prevent you for starting.  Don't let fear paralyze you from doing anything. Learn to master your fears so you can achieve your goals and live your best live.

EDUCATE YOURSELF.

Contrary to popular notion, blogging is not glamorous...it's anything but!  Blogging involves leaning and learning a lot!  Whether you're a fashion blogger, lifestyle blogger, faith blogger you need to be in the know and be on top of what is happening around you. I mean, how can you write about the latest trends if you're not willing to learn and do some research?

I've said it before, I knew nothing about the blogging world and I had to learn and research a lot to be able to know my way around. I learned everything from, building websites, taking and editing photos, social media planning and posting, writing and editing posts, graphic designs just to mention a few. Luckily, Google, YouTube and Pinterest is just a click away. Take advantage of it and make good use of it, all of it.

Another important aspect of educating yourself is to study what your competitors are doing. You're not doing that to copy them, but to get a better understanding of what the people at the top of your niche are doing. It gives you a greater perspective and helps you work on your own craft in hopes of getting it to an industry standard.


Modest fashion.

BE CONSISTENT AND PERSISTENT.

Consistency is key if you want to succeed as a blogger. As it is with anything in life, if you want to see results you have to be consistent and persistent.  Blogging is hard work and if you don't have the passion for it, you'll give up easily. In the beginning, I questioned everything and anything and came very close to giving up. 

Bloggers literally, like myself, put our heart and soul into every content  we create, unfortunately we sometimes don't get the response or the engagement we had hoped for. 

Through my first year of blogging, I have learned that, people ARE watching, and reading what I put out there even if they do not engage with my posts. I've learned to just keep going and not get discouraged because if just one person gets motivated and inspired by what I put out there, I've done my job because that was, and still is my ultimate goal a year later!


Spring 2020

ASK FOR HELP IF NEEDED - BUILD A TRIBE.

Blogging can be very lonely and so overwhelming, so it's important to reach out and ask for help when needed. I've reached out to many fellow bloggers  and YES, some did not respond but that's ok.  

I've come to the understanding that, bloggers do get lots of messages (some wanted and others unwanted) and frankly speaking you can't answer everyone's DM. Most bloggers will gather all questions and write a blog post about it.  Whatever it is, don't get salty about it, use Google and if it's something you can't find the answer on Google for, keep asking and someone will eventually help you out.

Please note: Never be one of those people who, NEVER engage on someone's content, have zero communication with that person, and out of the blue you write a long DM asking for help. Build a genuine relationship with that person first and I can almost guarantee they will respond to your request.

I'm not the overly social type of a person, but I can honestly say, I've built a small tribe locally and virtually with few bloggers that are willing to help when needed. It's very important to do that because no man is an island.


Easter festivities.

HAVE GOALS/SCHEDULE AND STICK TO THEM.

Blogging is demanding and so time consuming so it's important to have goals and schedules to keep you on track. You have to find time for photo shoots, campaign shoots, planning and writing blog posts, promoting your blog posts, regular social media posting, engaging with other blogger's content, answering DMS, reaching out to brands you would like to work with, and engaging with your audience.

Most of the time, it's a one man show so it's crucial to set times for it (if you want to take it seriously) throughout your day, week and month. Otherwise, it'll never get done and that's when inconsistencies come in.


Mom blogger.

one year of blogging.

DON'T COMPARE YOURSELF TO ANYONE ELSE.

Comparison is really the thief of joy! Really! So don't do it! It's ok to look up to other bloggers who are killing it, but it is not ok to envy them and put yourself down because you are not where they are. Some of the big bloggers have been doing it for many many years and have built their audience and brand so why are you comparing yourself to them as a newbie?

Doing that is a sure way to discourage yourself, so don't do it. Whenever I feel discouraged, I check out the bloggers I look up to and litterally scroll all the way down to when they first started. Doing this gives me hope and helps me snap out of my pity party state of mind and I say to myself "wow look how they started out, if they can do it, so can I!" It really does help me know that staying consistent and putting out quality content, will eventually work out for me too.


Trendy outfit.

BE AUTHENTIC.

This is probably the most important lesson I have personally learned throughout my first year of blogging. There are so many fakeness in the blogging and social media world and it blows my mind. Be yourself! There's no need to fake it until you make it, PERIOD!

You will never catch me talking about topics or something I do not do in real life just to get likes, views, and comments on my blog posts. If I'm talking about budgeting, and being debt free, you better believe I have lived that life! If I'm talking about setting and achieving goals, you better believe that's exactly how I live consistently.

To me, it's not worth it and it's too much pressure to give to yourself. Be yourself, talk about topics you are passionate about, and eventually the people who love your work will find you. 

Just because blogger A is getting luck talking about vegetarian diet, it doesn't mean I should jump on the bandwagon. I know nothing about that life and I have zero interest in that lifestyle because I can probably never be a vegetarian, I love meat too much to give it up. Lol...

In a nutshell..DON'T copy blindly, be you and do you and everything will work out for YOU!


fashion blogger.

HAVE FUN.

Lastly, have fun and enjoy the process. Don't worry so much about the likes, comments and who is doing better than you. Put in the work, be consistent, promote your work and be hopeful. Even if it's only one person that is reading your work, that's ok, just keep doing what you love and don't stress.

That's all folks! Thank you so much for tagging along through my first year of blogging. I couldn't have done it without your support. I've learned so much to be proud of but there's so much room for improvement. I'll continue to learn so I can put out inspirational and motivational content to not only inspire my readers and followers, but also myself! Medaase (thank you) and S.M.I.L.E!

S - See
M - Miracles
I - In
L - Life
E - Everyday

XX

EMELIA


Passion blogger.

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2 comments

  1. WOW, this is a great info thank you very much happy anniversary good job.

    ReplyDelete