sweater // jeans // boots // polaroid camera

hi! hope you are having a good day :) i cannot believe it’s already december.. this year has absolutely flown by. when i was visiting family last week, i kept getting asked about my little blogging project and what i’ve learned from it. my main reaction was to say “a lot,” but i kept thinking about it later on and trying to formulate a better answer. in today’s post, i want to identify some of the things that i’ve learned or discovered in the past few months.

what blogging has taught me

you have to seek it out.

whatever it is you want (in work, in life, in today), you have to seek it out. adventure is not going to find you on your couch, and your dream job definitely won’t knock on your door, especially when you’re entrenched in a “settled” mindset. one sentiment i hear from friends a lot is how some bloggers make their lives look so picture-perfect. while there is definitely more than meets the eye when it comes to what you see on social media, i think the reason it looks like they are having so much fun is because most of them are - they’re consistently showing up and making an effort. and while there’s a kind of weird question that comes up as to whether people are just doing something so they can post about it or if they’re there for the actual experience itself, for me, it’s the adventure that wins every time.

SquareSpace web design, Google Analytics, and SEO

i’m no expert but i’ve developed my skills enough to actively make changes on my site as i go - there’s no one else to call and ask to do it for me. as great as it is to see a new feature go live on my site, what i’m most proud of is the fact that i’m teachable. being eager to learn about different things, making the time and committing to learning, and then working through obstacles is a skill that will help me later in life. i’ve always promised myself that i never lose my sense of curiosity, and now i know i’ve developed habits to protect that promise. it’s one thing to pass a test or graduate; it’s another to carry with you the eagerness to learn new things.

resourcefulness

as i’ve mentioned before, this website is entirely DIY-ed and run by me. i have spent a lot less money on my website than others have, and maybe it shows,. but the reason i’ve done it this way is because i wanted to learn to be resourceful. things are not as unattainable as they seem. you can’t buy success, and you definitely can’t buy a sense of accomplishment. i was always super intimidated by the idea of bootstrapping when i learned about it in my business classes, but now that i have put myself in the position, i’ve seen a completely different side to it that makes me appreciate it. i’m not afraid to ask someone how they did something, or spend time searching for answers to whatever question i might have. it takes patience, but you can’t always throw money at a problem, and even then, the most expensive option isn’t always the best fit.

flexibility and discipline

these may seem like opposites, but marry them together and you have a strong skillset. no matter what, things come up in life. i’ve learned to be flexible, while also developing a level of discipline and laser focus to get things done with enough time and space for those unforeseen moments to happen without getting flustered or discouraged.

communication

everyone who knows me personally knows that i love to talk (ha), but jumping into this whole blogging experience, i was hesitant when it came to actually writing things down and sharing on a public platform. as much as you try to put yourself in your readers’ shoes, you don’t know what they’re taking away form your posts, or how it’s affecting their perception of you. over time, you learn what works and what doesn’t, and how to adapt to meet expectations. my blog has always been more than clothes - i try really hard to infuse positive energy into my posts, and i don’t want to just throw affiliate links at you in hopes of making a quick dollar. to me, blogging can be disingenuous when it lacks purpose.

so, friends, aunts, uncles, potential employers, and little cousins.. this is what i’ve learned from blogging. it’s a lot less materialistic than it seems, and perhaps less polished or pretty than what you see, but it’s purposeful. this little side project has taught me more than some of the classes i took in school, and the lessons will definitely last longer than any i learned from those $300+ textbooks. that’s all for now. time to go back to taking pictures of my shoes. kidding. but really, thank you for reading ♥️ i mean it.