All The Mistakes I've Made In Blogging
Since I’m fast approaching eight years of blogging I thought it was about time I spoke about all the mistakes that I’ve made in that time. And even though there are things that I definitely wish I hadn’t done without those mistakes I wouldn’t have learned the things that I have and I might not be in the position I am now. One of the most wonderful things I think about blogging is that there is no right or wrong way to do it, no matter how many posts there are on the subject. It's all about what works for you and that is something that takes a lot of time and patience, but once you do find what works it's so worthwhile.
NOT BEING BRAVE ENOUGH FOR SELF PROMOTION
When it comes to sharing this blog or anything that I do online I absolutely hate promoting myself, I always feel so awkward and like it’s annoying or wrong to do when it absolutely isn’t. No matter what you do in life whether it’s online or offline you have to share it as if you don’t do it then no-one else is going to do it for you. And of course, there is always a fine line with self-promotion as sometimes it can be so overwhelming when it’s the only thing that you do online but usually, people are following you because they enjoy what you do so they want to know what you’re doing. Sometimes I wonder if it’s a British thing as we’re all so painfully awkward when it comes to sharing anything as we immediately feel like we’re a hassle and that shouldn’t be the case. I so wish there was more of a conversation around self-promotion when it can feel difficult, weird or even gross as it’s so important for everyone to feel like they can get their message out there in whatever way works for them.
WORRied TOO MUCH ABOUT WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THOUGHT
I guess this ties in a lot to not feeling brave enough to promote what I’m doing but something I still really struggle with to do to this day is worrying about what other people think about my blog & Instagram page. But the truth is, I’m proud of what I’ve created from absolutely nothing and I hope it’s something that I can continue to do for many, many years. Blogging has changed and we all know this and even though the future is uncertain I so wish I hadn’t wasted so many of my years being too scared and shy of so many things. I could have used the time that I’ve spent worrying so much better and channelled all that anxious energy into something that’s actually productive. Because as much as worrying might trick our brain into thinking that it’s going to change things, it doesn’t at all and no matter what we do in life people are still going to think what we want and there is no way we can try and please everybody. Something that I try and remind myself all the time is that there is no point in worrying about things that you cannot change and the opinions of others is one of them.
not spoke up sooner about personal topics
The most read posts on this blog are about grief, mental health, being an anxious driver, long distance relationships and body dysmorphia. But those are the topics that for years I put off writing about and I was so anxious to speak about them properly and worried that it would feel like I was sharing too many personal details. I firmly believe now after writing numerous posts on those subjects that you can write about personal topics without bearing your soul to the internet. Although when I initially created this blog it was all about beauty and all things frivolous something that I wanted to do when I got further into my blogging journey was to write posts that I wish I’d read when I was younger. When you’re going through something difficult it can make you feel incredibly alone and I know I’ve always found comfort in reading posts on the not so easy things to talk about.
not caring about the techy side of blogging
Something that I’ve never had any interest in at all is all the technical side of blogging like SEO and all things analytics. I know some people find it absolutely fascinating and get a real buzz from learning about those things but I can’t say it’s ever something that has excited me in the slightest. And even though I firmly believe that you don’t need to be a master of SEO to start a blog, having knowledge of that stuff is undoubtedly beneficial. It’s something that I’m slowly trying to learn about and get into the habit of doing but doing it from day one would have been so good for this online space.
LETTING MY SHYNESS TAKE OVER
When it comes to talking to people whether that be in real life or online I’m pretty shy, but once I get going and get over the initial hurdle I’m fine but I know my shyness has held me back so much online and within the blogging community. There are so many awesome like-minded individuals online and so many times I think to myself ‘I think we’d really get on’ but I just never, ever have the courage of reaching out for fear of looking weird or being ignored. And I know that I’m not the only one who feels like that and has that worry as so often I see that other people say they feel the same way. I’ve certainly made progress from how I used to be as I used to like to keep myself to myself so much that I would basically be invisible but that's something I want to change.
followed trends a little too much
Although I like to think I’ve stayed pretty true to myself generally when it comes to blogging I’ve also been so guilty of feeling the pressure to follow trends. There was once a time where people would only post landscape photographs, have monochrome themed blogs, everyone used blogger, had a certain bedding set from IKEA and the list goes on. And I look back on those things lovingly because it was at the time where I was really just getting into blogging but it was also a time where it felt too scary to go outside the comfort zone I think we were all in. Now I tend to stick to what I love and even though that might mean I’m not the most popular blogger out there at least I’m being true to who I am.
