9 Things I've Learned After Blogging For 9 Months

The end of August marks my ninth month of blogging and what a ride it's been! I've grown so much and have learned so much about myself. I've shared some things about myself and also introduced the world to some pretty amazing women. I thank you for riding with me. Those that have been down since the beginning, I love you! Those that have been down since yesterday, I love you! You guys really don't understand how much it means to me.

The love and support I've received has been INSANE! I hit my first 100 subscribers on February 14, 2018. The irony, right? The day of love brought 100 people to share my love of all things beauty, skin and mental health. What came next was a wave of support. Now, here we are in August and my subscriber list is a little over 500 and counting. FREAKING WOW!!!! Just thank you, all of you! I love you all so much and I can't even begin to explain how much it means to me.

I started this journey with no research, no idea of what my niche would be, and with the support of one person, the ONLY person that knew at the time. He's supported me thus far and I owe a MASSIVE thank you to him. He's been the one riding my back about staying consistent with each post. Thanks Josh! Now that I've got that out of the way, let's talk about the things I've learned in the last few month about blogging.

This Shit Is Hard!

Blogging is seriously hard af! I high recommend doing your Googles before diving into this industry. That's the one thing I wish I'd done before getting started. There are only a few things I've been consistent with in my life so adding this into my life, when I was busy enough, was hard. Also having to keep up with my Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter, and Facebook was VERY overwhelming in the beginning. I didn't start researching and supporting other bloggers until I launched my site. That's when I learned about having a niche, legal actions, how to draw in subscribers, and so forth. It's still taking some getting use to but I wouldn't trade this experience for anything.

How To Be Accountable

I launched my first Goal Digger series in March as a way to hold myself accountable for the things I do, the goals I set, both personal and socially, and more. I've noticed a growth in the way I analyze my goals and a growth in the way I accomplish said goals. I should've been doing this. I love who I've become in such a short amount of time.

How To Be Consistent...At Least Try To Be

Holding myself accountable has taught me to be somewhat consistent. Knowing that you guys are looking for posts also helps in being consistent. I can honestly say, though, within the last few weeks, I haven't been posting my best work. It shows in my stats but I'm working on better and more consistent content. I promise.

To Be Fearless

I use to be so afraid of what other people think of me. I would SAY I don't care but my ACTIONS would show something else. Once I started to invest in myself, I noticed that the only thing holding me back, was me. Go figure! I use to not take body pictures because I was so ashamed of my body. Now? There's nothing anybody can say about me that can make me feel less than. I also use to be afraid of failure. This is definitely an industry where fear can't succeed. I know how it feels to post and only have 4 views. I also know how it feels to post and have more than 80% of your subscribers read your post. Fear is NOT an option anymore!

Slay These M(f)s

On January 1, 2018, I promised there would be pressure applied all year long and I've made good on that promise. Learning my body, new makeup techniques and how to live out loud has been one of the best things about this process. Thank you all for believing in my journey.

Don't Worry About "They"

The reading from the book of they will turn you into a miserable soul, sis. That was one of my favorite books for the longest time. I had to put that book down and ready the book according to Me!

Be Yourself

I find that the posts where I'm authentically myself, do significantly better than when I try another style. It's taught me to develop my own personal style so that it sets me apart from other bloggers.

Its OK To Cheerlead For You

As I've stated, when I launched, only one person knew. It took me a month to build my site. Even when I launched, I still wasn't satisfied but I kept swimming. There have been times that I've wanted to give up and to be honest, there was a month or 2 when didn't post. I gave up. I had to tell myself that I can do this. It's okay to feel discouraged but it's how you bring yourself out of that pit that matters. You have to be your own cheerleader at times.

I'm Getting Pretty Good At This

It use to take me a full day to work on one post and now I can get at least two or three weeks worth of posts done. Depending on the topic, I can type it up within an hour and have it posted to the site that day. Topics are as hard to come by anymore and I'm proud of myself for sticking this out. I've proud of the evolution of Phoenix Beauty 101. I'm looking forward to you guys getting to know me better and growing with me.