My 5 Year Blogiversary

It all began 5 years ago… 

I got a little emotional yesterday just thinking back to how far I have come throughout this whole blogging journey of mine.  I remember where I was at in my life emotionally, mentally and spiritually.  I was completely broken with absolutely no idea how I would be able to push forward. I was lost and there was still a bit of darkness deep inside of me. I needed to find a way back towards the light where I could genuinely be happy again. I had to immerse myself into a new creative outlet and find out what I was going to do with my life.  It was so difficult for me to no longer have the guidance of my father that I once relied on so heavily. It was a whole new world for me to be out of a job with no stability or consistency.  I didn’t know which direction to take, but I always had such a strong feeling deep within my heart that I was meant for something different.  I was meant for something more. The typical 9-5 job was not for me and I felt so adamant about that. I just prayed and hoped that eventually I would be able to find a way to do something that I truly loved and enjoyed. Somehow along the way, I stumbled upon it by accident.

Never in a million years would I have thought that I would be running a blog full time and actually be able to make a living from it.  Never did I think that I would have the ability to be my own boss and be in charge of myself and what I do every single day.  I didn’t set out on this journey with the intentions of it ever becoming something. I didn’t have much
knowledge of what it meant to run a blog nor did I think I would grow a readership or work with brands. It happened though and it happened so organically that I knew that this is what I was supposed to be doing. I still find it difficult to explain to others what I do.  I know that there are many who don’t understand or respect it.  There are many who don’t consider blogging to be a legit job, so they mock us, judge us and put us into this one box as if we are all the same.  Trust me, I get it.  If I wasn’t doing this, I am not sure if I would fully be on board with it either.  It’s not an easy concept to grasp. The reality though is that blogging really has become its own industry and this is the direction that media and advertising continues to move towards. I hope that you are able to keep an open mind.

For me, I consider what I do to be so far beyond just “being a blogger.” I know I’ve said it once or twice before, but I don’t think the word “blogger” truly defines it.  So much happens behind-the-scenes that you all don’t get to see. There are many hats that I have to
wear, especially now that I went back to managing myself full time.  Working for yourself in any capacity is a challenge, so believe me when I say that this tests me and pushes me every single day.  It’s not always easy and many times I get discouraged.  In this industry it is so easy to be hard on yourself.  It’s so easy to feel as though what you bring to the table is not enough. This is something that I have struggled with several times throughout these last five years.  I’m working on it though and I’ve gotten better at it. I am still learning every single day and trying to come up with new ways to evolve and move forward.  So trust me when I say that this is so much more than taking pretty photos, getting free stuff and going to events. Hopefully you’ve already been able to see this through the Life Chats that I have shared.

This was my biggest year to date and I am eternally grateful for every opportunity that has come my way.  I was blessed with much success this year, but I also had a lot of set backs too.  I am thankful for both because in their own ways they’ve made me stronger.
Rebranding was HUGE for me!  It was the best decision that I could have made and I don’t know why I didn’t do it sooner.  I feel so much more content and happy with this platform that I have created knowing that I am finally on the path that I am supposed to be on.  I’ve loved expanding on my content and continuing to get more personal and share more parts of my life with you all.  While a big part of what I do is working with brands, I still make sure that I am doing things on my own separate from that.  I think I’ve learned to have a
good balance of both, which is so important to me.  Being organic and staying authentic with what I do will always be top priority.

It might sound silly to some, but this blog changed my life. It helped me find myself again and definitely brought me back to the light. I am a completely different person than who I was 5 years ago when I first ventured out into this space. I’ve loved being able to grow with all of you here by my side.  Whenever I get messages from girls saying that they’ve been reading my blog since the beginning, it just fills my heart with so much happiness and
gratitude.  It’s extremely humbling to know that there are people who truly believe in me and what I have created.  I owe so much of this to all of you because you push me, motivate me and inspire me every day to continue down this path. I also owe so much of this to my
amazing and supportive mother for being the one behind the camera and putting up with some of my crazy ideas, like shooting with balloons by the water on a super cold and windy day.  Sorry mom, I love you.  

It really is crazy to me that it’s already been 5 years.  This whole process has taught me so much and there is definitely a lot that I have learned about myself along the way. It’s really grounded me, challenged me, given me thicker skin, and overall just made me so much more appreciative of what I have and what I am able to do.  I’m well aware that all of this can change tomorrow, so for today I will continue to enjoy it.  There are tons of things that I want to do beyond the blog. I hope to build on these ideas and bring them to life, just like I did with this platform. I can’t thank you all enough for the constant support and love that you show.  I have SO much love for every single one of you. Thank you for allowing me to share my passions. Thank you for coming back here every day and more importantly, thank you for believing in me at times when I didn’t even believe in myself. I love you! Cheers to many more years and to many more new beginnings!