I have been blogging for over a year now, and although it sometimes seems like it was longer it really wasn't. I don't consider an expert when it comes to blogging, there is always room for improvement and growth but I do feel that I've come a long way. There are mistakes I have made along the way but I am not ashamed of anything because getting into this mess has made me learn and get to experience at full force the beauty of blogging. I wanted to write a post that compiled the things I've learned about blogging as a reflection and motivation for myself and in hope that it may be helpful to someone out there. 


5 Lessons I've Learned From Blogging


1. Be You

Nowadays it is easier to be whoever you want to be, the online world only makes this even more plausible. When starting up a blog you have the freedom to present yourself however you want. You are free to be who you want to be but, my advice would be to be you. It is easy to lose yourself in the online world and do things for others writing content that you think others will read instead of what you want to write. I have come to learn that this doesn't work, if you want to be happy with your blog, you have to blog things you love and want to eventually that passion will translate to the post and you will be surprised at the number of people that relate and love what you thought no one would read. It is part of being original but at the end even if it doesn't get reads, you will be happier that you wrote what you wanted and that is out there,  Write about what you want to, design what works best for you, let the fonts and colors be something you like, create what you want, be you.

2. Know What You Want To Write

This is one of the things that I never thought through when I started blogging. I had an overall general idea of topics I wanted to talk about but more specific posts, thinking of what to post was extremely difficult when I first started, I would write about anything random that would come to mind, then post it without a second thought and you could tell. I know developed this system that works for me where I brainstorm ideas come up with as many things as I can then organize when I want to post them, working on them until they finally go up. Many of the times I have a post ready to go, just the timing feels off so I wait until I feel is right. Having ideas has helped me learn what I enjoy writing and what I don't. In a way, it defines what I want to write about and therefore my blog. What I am trying to get at is that when you know what you want to write it not only helps organize but creates the essence of your blog and makes blogging fun, creative, and enjoyable. 

3. Make Friends

A big part of blogging is socializing online. I remember when I first started this was one of the things I feared the most. Being active online is what makes you present creating and extension of your blog in the online world. I am awkward and I don't know what to say half the time to other people in real life how was I suppose to do that online. Once I started to use social media and even the comment section in my blog to talk to other bloggers, it wasn't that bad. The complete opposite, I have met some wonderful people that I can relate to and understand to the point to where I consider many of them friends. You can learn so much from them as people and as bloggers that feed inspiration to each other and online strengthen each other's blogs. I can say that I wouldn't have gotten this far if it weren't' for their presence even if small in both my life and blog. 

4. Take Your Time & Organize

If we are being honest here this is the one I struggled still, do with the most. Blogging takes time and as a full-time college student, there is not much of that available. The inspiration for your blog can come out of the blue but if there is no time to write it, it goes away and no one will ever get to read that, or you write it extremely fast and post it without getting to expand the idea to its full potential, this is where organizing comes in. When you have things organized in general, it makes life simple. You are the only one that knows all the details about your life and what your priorities are. Make time for blogging, then from there, you can see how many posts you can write and when you can work on them. 

5. It's Just Numbers

Blogging comes with numbers whether it's the page views, post views, following, social media, it is there and almost unavoidable. Numbers can get in the way of how you see yourself, and therefore your blog. I have a love/hate relationship with numbers for one I think they signify how your work is being interpreted by your readers but at the same time, it can become a problem when you let the numbers affect you. Whether the numbers are good or bad, when you blog for the numbers I believe it to lose essence as it is a need of validation. I have a post coming in the next weeks that expands more on this as there is much I have to say, but a number is just a number it doesn't make you less or more of a blogger so don't focus on it too much. 

What are things you have learned about blogging?


Lots of love,