Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Ten Things I Told Myself When I Started Blogging


I've been blogging for five months now, though some days it feels like much longer. I'm surprised by how quickly the blog has become a part of my daily life. I have received tremendous support from my family and friends, and I can't count how many times they've begun a conversation with "oh you should blog about this..." Even here at college, I'll be talking to somebody in the cafeteria or in between classes and they'll casually mention that they read my blog. It's still a bit of a shock because I'm not used to being...is popular the right word? No, that makes me sound stuck up. I guess I'm just not used to having something that is entirely my own work but which others benefit from. And I've received so many compliments! Which is not, of course, why I'm doing it, but it warms my heart and puts a smile on my face when I hear that someone loves reading what I write. 

Today's Blogtober prompt is 10 Things I Told Myself When I Started Blogging, and it's taken me a while to gather my thoughts on this, but I'm going to give it a shot. Some of the things still apply and haven't changed, but others have ended up being completely different from what I originally envisioned. 

  1. Nobody is going to read this. I honestly had no idea that so many people would read my blog, or that it would reach such a wide audience. I've had comments from readers in Italy for crying out loud! 
  2. I have nothing good to say. I still struggle with this, but it's really mind over matter and once I apply myself and force myself to write, I can usually crank out something that is satisfactory. 
  3. I don't want to bombard with social media. A lot of bloggers set up separate accounts on their Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and even Snapchat to reach their viewers, and keep their personal lives private. I did create a separate email for "work" emails, but as far as different social media accounts, I haven't found it necessary or desirable yet. 
  4. I'm doing this as a hobby. This is definitely a hobby and it is definitely enjoyable for me to keep up but would I make it my career if I could? Yes. Do I plan on gaining a revenue eventually? Absolutely. Is that my only incentive? No, I honestly just love being part of the blogosphere and offering my two cents. 
  5. I will post every single day without fail. Ha! I've slacked on this one big time, but who hasn't? I think the longest I've gone without blogging is around two weeks, but it's when I moved, so that's my excuse. I feel bad and like something is missing when I don't blog, so I try to keep it up, but I have my days when I just need to take a breather. 
  6. Everything is going to become "I can blog about this." This is true! I find myself photographing my meals and coffee runs, taking every opportunity as it comes and keeping an open mind about possible post ideas. 
  7. I can't possibly compare to others. I've learned that this is not only true, this is completely OK. It's only expected that I don't have a viewing of 5,000+ or even AdSense yet because I'm still considered a newb. Yeah, I learned quickly and I think I'm fairly good at what I do, but I'm still a work in progress and that's A-OK. 
  8. What the hell is HTML coding. Let me tell you, it was quite the adventure. Literally hours staring at my screen, watching videos, reading tutorials, publishing and re-publishing and I finally learned the ins and outs of HTML. It was no picnic, but I appreciate it all the more now because it's something that I put my mind to learning and knowing, and now I could (maybe, quite possibly) explain how to do it if asked. No promises on that one, though. 
  9. My blog is going to be a beauty focused blog. Yeah no. I can't remember the last beauty related post I published, tbh. I still love buying, experimenting and recommending products, but this has developed into a lifestyle blog, if anything. However, I'm going to try publishing those beauty and fashion centered posts more regularly, simply because I do enjoy doing them and I think that a lot of readers appreciate the different aspects of a blogger's life especially if they are under the impression that they are reading a lifestyle blog (which they are!)
  10. Blogging will be a piece of cake. Again, this was a false assumption. Blogging is not a piece of cake. Unless all you really want is an online journal, creating and keeping a blog is more or less a job of sorts. So many things have gone into this baby, from design to fonts to widths and making sure links work and lining up the sidebar with the post area. Thinking up material to write about and actually sitting down to write is never easy and while I love every minute of it, it's so much more that anything I ever expected. I wouldn't quit this blog for anything because it really has helped me shape myself into a better person and given me something to call my own. My only hope is that I can live up to the goals and expectations that I have laid out for myself, one post at a time. 
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7 comments :

  1. Number 5 is so hard to do when we have full time jobs, school, etc! Keep up the good work - love your posts! x

    http://www.bohochiccafe.com

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    1. Isn't that the truth, it can be difficult, but somehow we find the time. Thank you so much!

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  2. This post is so relatable and I've only been blogging for a month or less! Thank you so much for being my 10th follower by the way :) x

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  4. I loved reading newbie blogger... I'm sure you can apply for the Google Adsense now. I just got it within 5 months. Here a post I wrote about it.
    http://www.wakethetime.com/2014/10/how-to-get-google-adsense-approved/

    Hope you doing well too....

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  5. #2 is a struggle for me, too! Then, I say to myself "you know, write whatever makes you happy, if people don't like it, so be it" :) But, actually, it's the "whatever makes you happy" that people recognize and actually love about you and your writings :)

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