9 Life Lessons After 5 Years of Blogging

Five freaking years of blogging. Holy. Moly.

I used to be a serial blog ditcher. I’d start a blog, get real excited about it and then promptly ditch it 3 months later. Sure, there have been quiet times and lulls in the last five years. But Kayla in the City is still here, alive and kicking.

Blogging has truly changed my life. This blog got me the job that changed my life path. Thanks to blogging I’ve been able to connect with the most insanely inspiring group of ladies (stay tuned for interviews with these badass bitches!) In the last year I could not have foreseen that blogging and social media would connect me with my business partner.

And yes, I’ve made some money and have had the opportunity to work with some seriously awesome brands. That part certainly doesn’t suck.

Last year I focused on why you should start a blog (and yes, you really, really should!) This year I’m taking a step back and focusing on overall life lessons from blogging. Whether you’re a blogger, entrepreneur or just aspire to be badass AF, I hope you can find some nuggets of wisdom in here.

9 Life Lessons After 5 Years of Blogging

Start before you’re ready

Dudes, I did not know what the f*ck I was doing when I started KITC. But instead of feeling like I should have a perfectly laid out plan, I pressed publish on my first blog post sans plan.

I didn’t have a ton of content lined up. In fact, I think I had zero content lined up. My design sucked, I didn’t own my domain, and I was using blogspot.

But that stuff didn’t matter. I was doing it.

 

The best ideas comes in the shower

Approximately 90% of all content on this blog (and the name of my business, Holistic Happening) is thanks to the random thoughts I have while shampooing my hair.

Now you know.

Whenever I’m struggling with writers blocker or just a creativity block in general, into the shower I go. I wish I was kidding, but this is really really true. At least it’s a hygienic habit?

 

Your vibe attracts your tribe (and yes, you should attract a tribe!)

In the past year especially, I’ve connected with SO many people thanks to blogging + social media — both IRL and online. I don’t know how I got so lucky to be associated with such cool people. I really and truly mean that.

Meeting people in your 20’s is hard. I swear social media and blogging is like the gal pal version of a dating app. Or at least I think, I’ve never used Tinder since it wasn’t a thing the last time I was single 🙂

 

Putting yourself out there is half the battle.

I didn’t tell anyone about my blog for the longest time. Having grown up in the day of “online diaries” and LiveJournal, I feared blogging had a stigma.

Maybe some people I went to high school with think it’s weird that I document my life on the interwebs. The truth is, I no longer care what they think. I’ve gotten more and more comfortable with sharing blog posts on my personal facebook page and owning the title of being a blogger.

 

 

Roll with the punches.

Blogging and social media have changed A LOT in the last five years. Instagram influencers weren’t a thing when I started blogging. I’ve witnessed the shift away from twitter whereas that used to be a huge referrer for me. Instagram stories has been a surprising game changer for me.

The industry is constantly changing. So the only choice is to roll with the punches.

 

Keep your eyes on your own paper.

I’d be lying if I didn’t say I get jealous of people that have been at this a fraction of the time I have, yet have already tripled the amount of followers and make enough money to quit their job and blog full time.

When I let the ugliness of jealousy creep in and start comparing myself to other bloggers, I remind myself to snap out of it and keep my eyes on my own paper.

 

Track your progress.

Sometimes I feel like I’m making zero progress. Why aren’t my page views higher? Why don’t I have more instagram followers? Why hasn’t Lululemon reached out to sponsor me yet? I kid, I kid.

But then I look at how many page views I got a year ago, or two years ago, or more and realize Wow I’ve come a long way.

For this reason it’s so important to track your progress. I keep a google doc to track my followers and page views month over month. It’s a nice little reminder of how far I’ve come even when it doesn’t always feel like it.

Other than tracking the progress of your blog, also track the upgrade in your skills. Your improved skills mean you have better chances of growing your blog and becoming a social media influencer. So, learn new things that can help you with blogging; if you already know basic photography, learn low light photography, street photography, or how to click pictures at night, etc. Don’t just assume that you know everything.

 

Authenticity is hot.

Being yourself is freaking awesome and I’m grateful to have a platform where I can do just that. Time and time again the posts where I am the most vulnerable, open and me are the ones that perform the best.

It’s taken me a long time to really hone on my voice as a blogger and embrace the weirdo that I really and truly am.

 

Just f*cking do it.

If there’s something you want to do, be it blogging or starting your own business, take a hint from Nike and just do it. Forget the excuses on why you should do it, and y’know just do it.

 

A HUGE thank you to all if YOU for being a part of this journey. I so appreciate the support.