Three Things I Learned in One Year of Blogging

This past April I celebrated one year of blogging. I was pumped! I had plans to create a giveaway, write about what I learned, do a roundup of my favorite posts…etc. I was thinking about it constantly and before I had a chance to implement any of it my computer broke. 

I panicked because I was afraid of losing any followers from not posting regularly. It was silly, but once the panic subsided, I decided to give my brain time off from thinking about anything blogging related.

I didn't write regularly, I was just doing my daily life. After a couple of weeks into my computer being broken, I realized that I had been blogging from a place of desiring affirmation. It felt good to get likes and comments when I published a post.

That motivation is not where I wanted to write from because it left me feeling panicked about how I could get more comments and likes the next time. I was hustling to share my posts on all the social media sites and  trying to network with other bloggers. Basically, spinning my wheels trying to get those shares, likes, and comments. 

In light of this, I have struggled with if I should even blog at all, if there really is a point to it. 

I have been reading in Hebrews lately,  and in Chapter 10, it talks about how we have confidence in Christ because what he has done for us. It also warns us to not throw that confidence away (Hebrews 10:35). I realized that I was throwing away my confidence by putting it in myself and what I could do to get those likes and comments to feed my need for affirmation.

When I write from my confidence in Christ, I write because I want to encourage other believers in their walks with Christ. It’s a joy and my soul is refreshed. 

The balance between writing for Christ and writing for affirmation is one that I am continuing to work out. 

In that vein of wanting to encourage others, here are three things that I have learned this past year of blogging. 

Three Things I have Learned in One Year of Blogging:

1. Challenge yourself with your dreams:

I have wanted to be a writer since I was young and one day I dream of writing a book that gets published. Pushing myself to write regularly on my blog was a step towards making my dreams happen. I can look back over the past year and see how my writing has changed and improved.

2. Perseverance pays off:

Persevering to achieve my goal of blogging one year, built my confidence in my dream to become a serious writer. Some months it was hard to create posts. Others months I wasn't even sure if what I had to say was that good. It was a journey that I stuck out.  I felt proud of myself when I hit that one year mark!

3. Life will pass you by unless you are intentional:

I realized that I wasn't just going to publish a book one day without doing anything to make it happen. My dream was only going to be achieved when I made time to pursue them. I fit it into everyday life, and made it a priority.

What steps do you need to take to follow your dreams?