Lessons Learned in a Year of Blogging
Hey guys! Welcome back! I can’t tell you how good it feels to be sitting in my comfy chair again with a cup of hot coffee in our new house with internet and everything. We finally got our internet set up yesterday and my husband is super pleased with the resulting speeds we’re getting from switching to Verizon. I’m just happy to be able to get on my computer again and catch up on my web comics and stream things to Chromecast. I think today is the day I explore yoga from the other side of the room. Our living room is much smaller now, but we have a fire place, so you know, you win some, you lose some. And, of course, I’m excited to get back to blogging. I have so much to tell you guys from the move and everything, but more importantly, today is the one year anniversary of my very first post as a “real” blogger.
That’s right! We’ve been here a whole year, folks! If you’ve been reading me from the beginning, which I know some of you have, I am thoroughly impressed you’re still here, and I thank you so much for your devotion. Seriously, thank you guys for reading and being part of this experience. I hope you’ve enjoyed it and continue to enjoy it in the year to come. That being said, for my one year post I thought I’d take a look at what I’ve learned this past year and share some of it with you. This is what I’ve learned in a year as a blogger.
I learned that I can do it.
This might not sound super hard to you guys, but this was one of my biggest concerns a year ago when I started this blog. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to keep up, that sitting down every other morning would be too much for me to handle, that I’d burn out and give up, that I couldn’t think of something to write that often. In some ways I was right, I couldn’t think of something to write every time I sat down to blog, but I’ve learned that that’s okay. Sometimes just spewing my thoughts is enough and the point is that I did it. I got up every Tuesday and Thursday and then every Monday, Wednesday, Friday to sit in my comfy chair and talk to you guys about something, anything, and it happened. I had some rough patches in the past couple months, but for the most part I’ve been consistent. And that’s another thing I’ve learned.
I learned it’s okay to take a break.
I felt so bad every time I missed a day for some reason or another. It was awful, I felt like I was failing if I didn’t keep every single day that I had scheduled. It took me a while, almost a whole year, but I learned it’s okay to take a break. Sometimes you need to take a break. I realize that blogging isn’t like other jobs where you go to a place and work and go home, but it’s still a job and everyone needs a vacation sometimes. I learned to take a little vacation here and there.
I learned to embrace being a blogger.
I’ve been blogging since I got out of high school. Believe it or not, that was nearly six years ago. I started my first blog in 2010 and have been blogging in one place or another ever since. The thing about turning a hobby into a job is it takes some getting used to. Responding to the question “What do you do?” and saying “I’m a blogger” and being totally serious is weird. I’ll admit it, I was a little embarrassed at first. When my husband and I would meet people and they would ask him what he does he can say “I work for this company and I do this for them and they pay me money and stuff.” When they ask me and I respond with “I have a blog” I felt like a kid trying to be a grown-up. But I’ve learned to embrace my chosen profession, as small as it might be right now. I think it helped that I got paid last year. I didn’t make much, just enough to actually get paid, and it took me the entire year, but I did get paid and that made it feel more legit. I’m a blogger and I get paid, eventually, through my blog. I’m not like contributing the house hold or anything, yet, but we’re getting there. I can say I’m a blogger, now, and feel like a big kid and everything.
I learned to be myself.
I have lots of friends who do lots of different blogs and I often find myself envious of their style. I wish I could be trendy and hip like my Twirly, or deep and thoughtful like my cousin Rachel. I wish I could make classy posts that are always interesting and neat and well crafted and make you think or make you laugh or just sound good all the time. But I’ve learned that just because I’m not them, doesn’t mean I’m not good. I’m me and that’s good too. Sure, sometimes my thoughts come out in rabbit trails all over the page. Sometimes I write just because it’s blogging day, even if I don’t have anything to really say. Sometimes I don’t make any sense, but that’s who I am, and that’s why you’re here; to peek into my brain as you drink a hot beverage of your choice. (I hope you drink a hot beverage while you read this. They are delightful things. My hot beverage is cold now and I have no way of reheating it, which is a sad thing, but that’s moving for you.) I’ve learned that my blog doesn’t have to be like anyone else’s. It just has to be mine.
I’ve thought about making changes to my blog a lot this past year. I’ve thought about ditching the schedule and just blogging when I have something to blog about. I’ve considered giving every month a theme to work with and trying to keep to it every day. I’ve entertained the idea of doing reviews every Friday or something like that, but let’s be honest, I can’t be trusted. I can’t trust myself to blog more than once a month if I wait until I have an idea for a post. I know, I’ve done that, it wasn’t good. I can’t be trusted to stick to a theme. I would run out of ideas half way through and then beat myself up about not having more ideas. I can’t be trusted to review things. I’m really bad at it. I come off meaner than I intend to on paper, I’m really bad at being critical of things I really like, and I’m just not confident enough to present my opinions without feeling like I’m being a prick.Okay, I might still try the review thing. I’m part of a book club now, so I’m reading consistently at least. We’ll see. Anyway, we’re only a year in, and things are still evolving, I think, into what I really want them to be.
I’ll be honest, I’m still a little baffled that people read my blog. I’m so thankful for each of you reading this and I’m so glad that you’ve chosen to spend a little bit of your day with me. Thank you for supporting me in my funny little blogging endeavor and for letting me be a part of your day. I hope your life is enriched somehow through my writing. Happy one year anniversary, everyone! I hope you all have a super lovely day, my friends.
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