This month my little blog is 4 years old. I wasn't going to post anything about it to be honest, but then I saw that Christina from Down and Out Chic wrote a really honest post about her four years of blogging, and I knew that I had something to say about it too. And the one thing that I've learnt in the past 4 years is that blogging is weird. (And I guess the fact that I love doing it so much makes me even weirder... but I'm OK with that.)
Blogging is weird, you can't deny it, but more importantly than that - I've also learnt that it is absolutely amazing and even with amazingness all around you, it is so easy to forget that. In fact, both Christina and I wrote a post each nearly 3 years ago that still seems relevant to me now. I wrote...
I love blogging, I love my blog – I work incredibly hard on it – and I love the people who read my blog! I love the comments, I love the interaction, I love that I have made friends all around the world… and some close to home. I love that I made something from nothing and that I have found out more out about myself through blogging than I ever imagined I would.
Christina’s post focused on being kind, working hard and measuring your success through your own happiness and right now its nice to love my blog without worrying that someone maybe be judging it negatively…
Blogging is what you make it – there is always going to be negativity but personally I choose to ignore it – there is more positivity within me, my blog, my readers and the blogging world to concentrate on – so lets celebrate that instead!
In 3 years, this hasn't changed, blogging will always be what you make it. There will always be perceived pressures, but you can ignore them and that is totally fine. Sure there may be ways to blog better, to promote yourself better, or to protect yourself better even, but its up to you if choose to do them or not. Maybe you don't want to earn money or your blog... so, don't. And maybe you want to share a whole post of blurry puppy/baby photos... do it! (and send me a link haha). Or perhaps you do want to earn money on your blog, then do it but only if you really love it. Love every second of your blog because in 5/10 years time, you will be the one looking back on it and remembering how you felt at that time, not anyone else.
I truly love blogging because I've learnt that the best way to love it, is to do it for yourself (I know people say this all the time, you probably even say it too, but do you really mean it and really do it?). I started this blog because I was looking for something, but I didn't find it in earning money or fancy designs. I found it in other people, and more importantly, I found it in myself and what I could do. It's given me something to be passionate about, and I need that. As Christina said, blogging is about finding that balance, but its also about expressing yourself and learning who you really are... your blog is a reflection of you and you'll only be truly happy with it when you know what you really want from it, not what you think you want, or what you think others want from it.
In the past 4 years I have found a number of things I've been looking for through my blog, but I know that I'm still looking for something else and although I'm not 100% sure what it is, I think I'm closer to it than I've ever been before, and that is very, very exciting! So I could be here for another 4 years... or maybe another 10, you never know... but I'm starting to realise that searching for something, is just as fun as finding it.