Eight years ago this week, pregnant with my third baby and settling back into life in America with two little girls, I set out on a journey. I didn’t know at that time what that journey would look like or where it would take me, but 8 years on and that tiny little website that started with one post, “I am not a Referee” has blossomed into two website, more posts and products than I can count, and an entire history curriculum.
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And while this journey hasn’t always been smooth, and Beyond Mommying is nothing like when I started with my daily posts, or even a few years ago when Beyond Mommying was constantly filled withe new crafts and recipes and bits of wisdom, I am so thankful for everything I’ve gained over the past years from putting in the time. There’s been plenty of times I’ve thought of just throwing in the towel, but I’ve always been happy that I decided to push on and am proud of this little piece of the internet I’ve created.
These are 8 of the life lessons I’ve learned through blogging:
Community matters
I started Beyond Mommying 100% on my own. It was an entire year before I started connecting with other bloggers, and now those blogging and writer communities are some of my most visited on Facebook and my friend’s list is full of amazing women I never would have known without blogging.
The struggle is worth it
As is often the case in life, the things that are most worth doing, are not always easy, and blogging is no exception. Keeping a website moving forward takes commitment, grit, and perseverance. It’s never easy and can feel overwhelming at times, but the reward of putting in the work is always worth it.
Success comes at a cost
It is not easy to create a successful blog, and its definitely true that you get out what you put in. The time and energy it takes is immense, and truthfully it has, at times, taken away from my family. Finding that work/life balance hasn’t always been easy, but I’ve never sacrificed my beliefs or morals for success, and that is something I will always be proud of.
My blog is not who I am
While I always aim to authentic and honest with my writing, I am not Beyond Mommying. I have never been recognized in public, I’ve never been addressed as “that person from Beyond Mommying,” and I’m proud of that. Because Beyond Mommying is something I do, it is absolutely not all that I am.
It’s an evolution
Eight years ago I was posting daily, sharing my parenting journey and little tidbits of our daily lives. Then I went through a phase where I was constantly sharing crafts, recipes, and sponsored content. Now I post a lot less often, but I’m still working daily on product creation and promotion. It looks different, but it is still fulfilling for where I am in life now.
The rules only apply if they serve your purpose
There are so many best practices when it comes to blogging from how often you should post new content to SEO, how to manage social media, and so much more. And while everyone, obviously, wants to be successful, I’ve found that all those rules and best practices don’t always work for me. Sometimes they feel like they’re hindering my purpose, even if they’re helping my site, so I’ve learned to focus on the rules and best practices that feel right to me and what I want for my site. And that’s meant my site hasn’t grown like others have, it means that I’ve never been a viral sensation, but it also means I can proudly stand behind everything I have ever put out there.
There’s more to blogging than writing
There was a time when blogs were just online journals. And, honestly, that’s what I thought I was getting in to 8 years ago. I’ve always loved writing and thought blogging would be a great outlet. But, the truth is that blogging is also about photography, social media, marketing, graphic design, and so much more than I could have ever expected!
It’s a learning process
I’ve never hired someone to do blogging work for me. From my writing, to my websites, to my products, everything is 100% created by me. Which has meant that I’ve had to learn a ton about how to manage it all and one great investment I made in my blog (and myself) years ago was the Genius Blogger’s Toolkit. Packed full of 85+ helpful tools, resources, and eCourses for managing a blog and website, you will never find a more useful, affordable, and comprehensive set of resources covering everything from affiliate marketing, social media, email lists, product creation, website management, and more.
