100th Blog Celebration: 10 Things I’ve Learned from Having a Blog

*insert confetti and champagne pops!*

I did it, guys! I’ve officially published 100 blog posts! Can you believe it? I sure can’t. I was speaking to someone the other day about the first days following my first published blog post. I remember the days when not one person would look at my website in a day and I would be crushed (it still happens sometimes, but it’s fine). I remember the first post got 300 views and I was AMAZED! I remember going from 500 followers on instagram to the 3300 I have now. I have goals of collaborations. Some have been met,  some that are still in the process.  I’m still dying for that swipe up feature on instagram. Overall, I have had a REALLY fun time. I’ve learned a lot about myself, a lot about people and have gotten opportunities that I could have only dreamed of. I am so blessed to have a voice that is heard by a few thousand people every day (I’ve been doing lots of speech therapy today- if you’re wondering where my inspiration for that sentence came from, ha!)

I always like to put these commemorative blog posts into a list format. It helps me to reflect on the good things (and bad things) I have experienced in my life. In 5 years, I may look back at this post and laugh, it may be evergreen, or it may not even exist. Regardless, I’m at peace with this path that I have chosen for myself and I hope that it has brought you peace or excitement at one point or another over this past year-and-a-half.

Ten Things I Have Learned from Having a Blog

1. Embrace the Trends- I always tell y’all that I am hesitant about trends. I’ve become much more willing to try new things because I’ve had a way to share the trends I’ve tried and hear what y’all think. Some trends that I have loved: white booties; clear shoes, and clear purses!
   

    

2. I Don’t Have to Love Everything Everyone Else Loves- I talked a lot about and tried a lot of those pearl headbands that are so popular right now and they just weren’t it for me. I think they look adorable on everyone else, but I always felt like my hair looked too poofy in them and that didn’t give me confidence. I stopped trying to follow a trend and put mine away…AND THAT’S OKAY!  By all means, try something that you think look goods but never EVER continue to wear something that doesn’t make you feel like your best self!
3. Don’t Buy/Wear Clothes that Don’t Make you Feel Confident- I’ve talked about trying to get into better shape on the blog and instagram. My weight fluctuates a lot, and being photographed so often really made me realize that I LOOKED as uncomfortable as I felt in some clothing pieces. As creative as I want to get or as much of a good deal a clothing piece may be…it’s not worth it if you’re not going to feel comfortable or confident while you’re wearing it. So size up, cover up, and/or toss something out if it (AGAIN) isn’t making you feel your best self.
4. Relax- This whole “influencer” thing isn’t easy. Is it fun? Yes. Do I like it? Yes. Is it easy? No. Heck no. I love doing all the blog things, but I also have a full-time job and that means that blogging takes a back seat to a lot of things.  It’s so easy to worry about not “growing” enough or be sad that I didn’t get a campaign I really wanted, but I’ve learned to just let it go and focus on the things in front of me. I’ve also realized that it’s important to be myself. This is my page, they’re my posts, and if I care about something and want to post about it, I should. Whether a lot of people care to read or “like” a picture of the things I love doesn’t matter. What matters is that I’ve enjoyed and utilized my creative outlet.
5.  Taking Better Care of Myself- This kind of goes hand-in-hand with #3.  Since starting the blog, I’ve been taking better daily care of myself. Attempting to work out a few times a week as opposed to not trying at all, making sure I put on a little bit of make-up, and upgrading my comfy clothes from “old shirts” to “athleisure” has made a huge difference in how I see myself. I always think back to times in high school or college where I’d be disappointed with how I’d come out in photos from a spontaneous outing because I didn’t look even a little put together. I would always say I didn’t care until I looked back at those moments. Apparently, it’s important to me.  Since I’m always taking pics for the blog, I’ve taught myself EASY ways to look like I have it together.  I’m not saying that everyone needs to do this- to each her own, but I know doing these things for myself daily make me feel like I’ve at least got a handle on one thing in my life.
6. More Fearless- I am generally afraid of risks. I really only take action on things that I know I’ll be 100% successful in. Having a blog actually leads me to a lot of closed doors, but I’m not so afraid to try anymore. Being more fearless, also gives me a lot more ambition. I feel like being unafraid of failure has given me more of a, “I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it” mentality. I’m gonna do what I want, however I can do it!
7. Turning a Passion into a Hobby- As a newlywed with many less wedding payments to make, I found myself SHOPPING A LOT. To the point where I felt silly sometimes. The thing is I LOVE finding a good deal. I also love sharing my deals with people, so I decided to turn a passion (for fashion) into a hobby. I think the difference between doing something you love and making something you love a hobby is establishing goals. Making a goal to post once a week, ensures that I designate time to the blog, which makes me feel happy AND accomplished. Try it. If you love playing an instrument, but haven’t really progressed in your skills, give yourself a goal. An easy goal, but a goal.  Accomplishing something for myself (like 100 blog posts) is one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had.
8. Find the Calm- I’ve recently taken up putting together a personal planner for myself. Just like with my blog,  I felt a little silly about how excited I felt looking at all of the planner things and even setting my planner up for the first time. After I post a blog, or check things off my planner’s to-do list, I feel great. I feel calm. I feel peace. Why should I feel silly about things that calm me down? Find the thing that makes you calm, and embrace it.  What’s wrong with reading a book, if you love how it fed you? I know I feel REAL CALM after I follow the recipe to my favorite chocolate chip cookies and get to eat them all share them with my family.
9. Learn to Say No- At the very beginning (let’s get real- it’s still the beginning) of my blog’s existence, I would try to say yes to every opportunity that crossed my path. However, I quickly became overwhelmed with options and deadlines that I wasn’t receiving the benefits of my new hobby. I’ve carried over what I’ve learned into real life. I only dedicate my time to events, people, and activities that are really worth my time. A recurring theme: if it doesn’t make you better, then it isn’t worth it.
10. Never Stop Learning- There is a huge learning curve to everything that you are able to do as a blogger or social media influencer (or whateva). A big reason why I never started my blog (even though I wanted to for years) was that I was scared to learn all of the new information. Finally taking the plunge helped me realize that we will NEVER stop learning. Just this past month, I became a teletherapist OVER NIGHT. I had to learn so many new methods to do my day job. It’s good to be accepting of new possibilities. When you limit your learning, you limit your achievement.

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We went for our first swim of the year at my mom’s house the other day! It was a lot of fun and I even got to (pretend) coach my mom and niece in some water aerobics! I haven’t been able to sit and laugh with my family like that in so long.  I am still trying to make the most of the situation we’re in. I did a QUICK Target drive up for these cover-up pants and I am so pleased! They do run a little long (I’m 5’5, for reference), but I think that’s just the swimwear vibe, no?

I’m not sure who this post was for (me or y’all, ha) or if anyone actually read it, but if you got this far: I’m going to tell you how you can enter into a giveaway for a $20 gift card to Target! 

1. Comment on this post
2. Subscribe to the Blog (Aly in your Inbox)
3. Like the  picture associated with this post on instagram (it’ll go live soon after this post does!) and leave a comment AND a yellow heart emoji, so I know you’ve entered in the giveaway! 

That’s it! If y’all have any other questions about starting a blog, feel free to ask! I love sharing the benefits and like helping others to avoid mistakes I’ve made! I hope y’all have had a great week and THANK YOU for being the best!