I love reflecting and looking back to see what was done correctly and incorrectly. I learned this tactic from one of my writing professors freshman year of college. She said reflection allows you to grow and look back on mistakes and opportunities to improve for next time so that’s exactly what I’m going to do! First off, I cannot believe I’ve been blogging for A WHOLE YEAR! I feel like I just started this but it quite literally has been a year so, here are some of the things I’ve learned. It doesn’t even directly relate to blogging but just life in general.
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I Can Hold Myself Accountable:
I was really worried when I first started because I was a bit concerned I might give up if I ever felt discouraged or unmotivated (which believe me I definitely do). I feel like something can be said though that I have literally been doing this for year and only missed one blog post… talk about holding myself accountable. This is great for other curve balls that come up in my life too because I’m not afraid to commit to things anymore. If I can do a blog post once a week for a whole year and only miss one, I can commit to anything.
Not Everything will Work Like you Want it to:
There are many blog posts that I thought were going to do better than they actually did. Guess what, though? That’s totally okay. Not everything in life will go according to plan or be as successful as you want it to be. I just learned along the way what to keep doing and what to steer clear of.
It’s about the Numbers and also isn’t:
Even though I check my stats to see what is attracting a lot of traffic and what isn’t, I don’t base all my decisions or future blog posts on those numbers because ultimately it’s my site, my rules and I do what I want to do and write about what I want to write about. If something failed horribly then I probably won’t write something similar again and vice versa if something does really well. Ultimately, it’s your life, do what you want and what makes you happy.
If I can Inspire One Person, I’m Doing Something Right:
Going back to the being happy aspect, I continue to do this because it makes me happy and because people have come up to me or sent me a DM or whatever and have told me that I inspired them or they loved my blog post. That, right there, is why I continue to do what I do. I’m inspired by other bloggers and I want my readers to be inspired by me. It’s not about the “fame” or money. I do this because it makes me happy to see other people enjoy my writing. In your life if you can make someone happy or make him/her feel inspired, I guarantee you will feel complete knowing you made someone’s day better.
It’s all about Balance (Quite Literally):
Another thing I was worried about when I started my blog was the time commitment. It may not seem like a lot to take pictures or write one blog post a week but sometimes I struggle to do that. With work, school, my sorority and social life I can get overwhelmed at times. Sometimes I have to say “no” to the fun things and that’s okay. Life is all about balance and only taking on as much as you can handle. I have my priorities aligned and know what needs to come first and what doesn’t. My number one tip to anyone balancing a lot is GET A PLANNER! It’s so satisfying to write down everything you need to accomplish and then cross everything off and feel like you accomplished something.
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Thank you to everyone has been with me since day one supporting me and my journey and also any new followers I have gained along the way. You guys are the reason I keep going. Please let me know what else you would like to see on my site and what I can improve on. Life is all about reflection and learning, so bring it on! As always, follow me on any of my socials and send me a DM, I do my best to respond!
XOXO, Tayler
Tayler Renee May 