Things I’ve Learned From 4 Years of Blogging

This month marks my four year anniversary of blogging. In some respects I feel like it’s been 20 years and in other ways it seems like just yesterday.  I started my blog as a way to: get into the habit of writing, share creative ideas, record all the blessings in my life and hopefully provide a catalyst to other creative opportunities. In the past four years blogging has forced me to step out of my comfort zone, learn and try new things and practice lots of patience and persistence which don’t come easy for me.

I’ve not experienced the success of The Pioneer Woman (yet, insert wink), but I’ve learned a lot and I’ve grown since I published my very first post.  It’s one nice or not so nice thing about putting your work on the internet for the world to see. You can look back and see how much you’ve hopefully improved over the years, but it can also be a humbling experience. I met Ree Drummond at my first blog conference years ago. She shared a picture of one of the first dishes she made and she would be lucky if it got even one pin on Pinterest today.  It was that bad. I have several of my own pictures which I look back on and think, “I can’t believe I posted that.”  As the business of blogging gets more and more saturated with new bloggers it seems like you have to be on your best game to get noticed or be really lucky.  I’ve gone back and updated a few of my recipe pictures, but I also feel like I need to keep a few bad ones to remember my progress.  Progress should be our focus in life, not perfection. Truth be told, I also don’t have the time to go back and redo several years worth of posts.

The business of blogging has also taught me that it’s lethal to compare myself to others. Everyone’s journey is different in life and it’s good to be inspired by others, but I need to be myself. There are a gazillion webinars and classes that are offered on how to grow your blog, have a post go viral, social media, how to make money blogging, etc.  I’ve taken several of them and I can honestly say there is no one magic formula (as much as I wish there was) to success.  Every person’s path is different.  I think the key for me is to share what brings me joy which is why you will find a variety of topics on my blog.  My hope is that some of the things I share inspire you to try something new and live curiously.

I almost let this anniversary go by without any recognition other than the one Linkedin shared. I actually hadn’t even realized it was my anniversary month until about a week into February. I’ve learned it’s important to recognize those little milestones in life no matter how small they are.  As I reread my very first post I see how I’ve ironically come full circle. The theme of the post relates to the movie Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close which embodies the purpose of my blog. There are times I’ve gotten off track, but my purpose has come back to living curiously, trying new things, helping others in small ways, and pushing past your fears and taking small steps.

Thanks for sharing this journey with me, especially those of you who have been following me since the beginning.  I’m going to be taking a break next week to visit my parents and make some remodeling decisions on their new home. Don’t be surprised if you start seeing more home decor posts in the next few months. I’ll also be announcing a giveaway I’m excited to share on the 29th.  It goes along with this month’s exercise challenge.

Thanks again for reading my joyful scribblings!