To commemorate my 1 year blog-iversary, I wanted to take the time to share more about why I started blogging, discuss my challenges and inspiration as well as talk about what you can expect to see coming up next on the blog!

Check out this video interview where I candidly discuss it all and speak from my heart! Hope you enjoy!

And don't forget to subscribe to my youtube channel *wink wink

Guess whaaatt!! It's my 1 year blog-iversary!! I can't believe I've been doing this for a year now. I am incredibly proud of myself for how far I've come in this blogging world! Cue the music {"Do you know what today is? It's my anniversary"} ?? Fun fact about my blog - it took me 5 years to start it! Crazy, right? Why on earth would it take me that long to bring you all this juicy content!? A major stumbling block for me was fear and perfectionism. That is, I knew that I wanted to blog about life and adventure and inspire others while doing it, but I didn't know how. So the thought of wading into that unknown left me in paralysis. I am so thankful I finally decided to take the plunge... I don't regret a thing. If I could say anything to those wanting to blog or start anything new for that matter, just do it! Take that leap of faith. If you wait until everything is perfect or until you have everything figured out, then you'll never start. Of course, I def do not have everything figured out, but in my imperfection, I am thankful that I can share my life experiences with anyone willing to read about it.

​In this first anniversary post, I want to reflect on what I've learned in the past year of blogging - the good, the bad and the ugly. Here are my 7 key learnings from year 1 of blogging.

Authenticity is key
I can't emphasize this enough. It's typically hard for me to not be myself, mainly because I ooze personality where ever I go, lol I can't help it! To sum up my personality in a few words I would say that I am funny, witty, adventurous, creative, thrifty, a woman of faith, and I'm super friendly (no like REALLY friendly. I think it creeps people out sometimes, lol it's an island thing - we friendly). I love showing the world who I am because that's how people can genuinely relate to you. Who you are should come through in a blog post or in a social media post. There are a lot of people outchea on social media fronting or pretending to be someone else... don't be like those people. For me, I've found great freedom in allowing people to see my different sides or angles. So for me that means sharing my excitement about next home project or encouraging someone through a struggle I've faced or expressing my disgust with winter and my readiness for my next vacation. Don't try to beat the next Instagram algorithm - just be yourself, speak to your audience, and produce authentic content. That's all that matters to me.

Be consistent
When I first started this year, my blog posts were pretty spotty. I also didnt post on social media regularly. I might go a week or so without posting any content. If I'm honest with myself, part of that was being busy and lacking good planning for producing content on a regular cadence. Taking long hiatus' might come across as you not being serious about blogging. I'm not saying you have to bombard your followers with useless content, but rather that it's better to commit to regularly posting content that will be helpful to your readers/followers. I've also found that being consistent has improved my engagement. I believe that is because you are giving them regular opportunities to get to know you via your content. They will get used to seeing your posts and will look forward to seeing more. 

Get organized
This goes hand-in-hand with the previous section. Being organized will not only help you be consistent with your content, it's actually motivating! I love when I have a plan that I can run behind. Here are some tips for getting organized:

1. Create a content plan, i.e. decide what content you want to bring to your readers/followers over the next few months.
2. Create a blogging calendar, i.e. decide on when you are going to discuss all this content. What channels will you use? How will you space out the timeline for the content?
3. Set aside specific days and times to blog, i.e. decide when is your sacred time to blog and stick to it (also a way to keep you from making excuses for not doing it, LOL). 

Once you do these, you will def be wanting to do more blogging! It will also help you balance blogging and real life because, trust me, I've been at the place where I felt like my blog was taking over my life. Don't do this!  It will only lead to burnout and tempt you to throw in the towel. Organize your blogging activity and it will feel like fun like it was intended to!

Content is everywhere
As a lifestyle blogger, I don't have to go far or do much to come up with content that is within the realm of my blogging space. Anything in everyday life can become blog content. For example, one of my lifestyle topics is decor and DIY. If I buy a new chair for my office (which I did!), then that's content! I can share about the style and details of the chair, why I bought it, and how it fits into my space. Don't miss out on opportunities to take "regular" activities and turn them into content that others might find useful.

Don't be surprised if people don't support you
Remember that ugly part I was talking about? Well this is it. The reality of starting a blog (or a business or whatnot) is that people who know you might not support what you are doing (even while simultaneously congratulating celebrities, whom they do not know, on their success ?). It's baffling. Part of it is the familiarity issue. That is, if people are used to seeing you a certain way, sometimes it's hard for them to see you doing big things (or even doing things they wish they could but aren't!) [insert Olivia Pope pointing meme here] lol.  The SHADE, I know! I mean, look at Jesus! The Bible talks about how the people who knew him growing up didn't respect his ministry because they thought "who does he think he is? Isn't that Joseph's son?"  Don't let these non-supporters stress you! You are not doing it for them anyway! You are doing it because it is your passion and you have purpose in it. 

The flip side to that is that there are those who go out of their way to support you! Be thankful for those people (I know I am!). Also, be open to the fact that people can support you in their own way. So don't only see support as an Instagram like. Support can mean them being dedicated to reading all your blog posts, them telling friends about your blog, or them praying for you. Be grateful for the "silent" support from those who keep you close to their heart.

Keep learning and improving
Earlier I talked about getting started even if you don't have it together. However, I do believe that you can iterate and grow along the way. For example, if you don't have good photography skills, then take a class or buy a better camera. If you don't know what voice you want to bring out in your blog posts, keep working on it until it's just right. Bottom line is, don't stop improving. The best way to learn is to make a list of things you want to improve and actively work on them. Some of the best ways to learn is to look at what other, accomplished bloggers are doing. How do they caption their Insta-posts? How do they drive traffic to their site? What content do they talk about? The blogger world is so big that there are tons of good examples out there that you can mimic, likely in your blogger space. Trust me, when I look back and reflect on this first year of blogging, I can see where I've grown and all the iterations (big and small) that I've made to improve how I communicate with and reach my followers.  

Make sure you are building your brand
Your brand is who your readers/followers perceive you to be. The content that you put out, the things you say and the style in which you say them all contribute to your blogger brand. Are you just blogging or are you building your brand? If your goal is the latter, then don't just say anything! Decide beforehand what your brand is, and then make sure all your content is aligned to that. New, incremental content should reinforce your brand and help it to grow. Do you have a vision for your brand? If not, then get one. 

Another way to build your brand is to actually brand your blog. Get a logo and blog colors (my blog color is pink!) and use them consistently across your website and social media channels. Be consistent with your brand voice across all channels as well. If you produce video content, be sure they look consistent across all videos. If you blog about beauty, then don't blog about the environment (unless you are talking about the impact of the environment on beauty or vice versa). Your goal in branding should be to make your content recognizable as being authentically yours. And it will help your readers/followers better relate to it. 

​There you have it guys! My top 7 key learnings from this past year. Drop me a comment or a congratulations in the comments and let me know you are here! Thank you to all my readers/followers for your support over this past year. Your support has been incredible and is not unnoticed!

Until the next year,
~T
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