Consideration was provided by smartwater.
“Success doesn’t happen overnight. Keep your eye on the prize and don’t look back.” -Erin Andrews
The question I get asked the most is “How long have you been blogging?” While, I don’t believe the length of time really factors into quality, people seem to like to use it as a benchmark of sorts. I’ve seen the achievements and goals reached by different people at different speeds. To me, it’s the passion and dedication for your work that really matter. Winning is only half of it. The other half is having fun!
So, to answer the question, technically I’ve been blogging since high school. That’s a long time ago. I’ve always had a penchant for the Internet and creating my own personal online home. My current blog is four years old this year. It started as a fashion blog where I posted inspiration and my personal style. From there, new interests were integrated into the story. Soon, I blogged about beauty, NYC living and travel. As I grew, my site evolved as well, reflecting my new adventures and forays.
Today, I’m going to talk about focusing on how success is the journey and not the destination.
PASSION
Have you ever felt so strongly about something that you can’t sleep because it’s in your dreams, too? That’s how I felt about my current site. In the beginning, I thought it was a nice extension of my fashion and public relations career. Eventually, the pull was so great, I decided to commit to my dreams and curiosity. I wanted to push my limits and see what I can make of just an idea. With passion, you can basically be motivated to reach any goal.
ACTION
I don’t believe in being too aggressive in chasing after things, but I do believe in finding the balance of initiating and nurturing. If you want something, take the time first to attain it. Nothing comes to anyone sitting on their hands. At the same time, know when to step back and let things cultivate organically. In the beginning, I knew what I wanted from building my own brand, in the larger sense of things, so I took action that would lead me there. For instance, monetization. I researched my options and made sure I ended up with the right people.
CELEBRATE
Small victories all count. In the world of blogging and self-employment, the little things should matter! I can’t tell you how much comparison dooms a blogger. Everyone has their own path. By celebrating every small achievement, you give yourself positive vibes, and the taste of success, of any size, is a great one. It’s easy to get lost in perfectionism, so make sure to let yourself know that you’re doing okay.
CHALLENGE
I love, love, love a good challenge. Tell me “no” and I’ll find a way to make it happen. My rebellious nature always gets me to trying something new and out of the box. If it scares you, even a little bit, you should give it a try. This applies to life and work for me. If I didn’t take the risk to devote myself to my blog, I wouldn’t have opened myself up to all the new opportunities it has brought or been able to find time to travel as much I do now. At the minimum, I take a calculated risk. Plus, you never know until you try! For instance, when I migrated my blog to WordPress on my own. I had absolute no experience, but I did my due diligence and it went off without a hitch. From then on, I learned to customize my site and more.
EVOLVE
Don’t be afraid to grow or make changes. The road to success is filled with twists and turns. I’m always staying on top of the news and trends. It makes for great referencing material and it helps you figure out what works and what doesn’t. Beyond that, my blog grew up as I did. When I was younger, my site was about trendy fashion. As my preferences developed, the change was reflected on the site. This also applies to the introduction to my new passions, most recently, travel. As long as it makes sense, I didn’t mind. At the core, the site is by and for a girl who loves beautiful things, whether it be clothing, lipstick or a destination. Also, don’t be scared of trashing something you started with, but doesn’t work out. Just remember, adaptability is a great trait to have, and change is progress.
BRAINTRUST
Lastly, develop your own group of smart ladies that you can trust and bounce ideas off of. Yes, the competition is fierce out here, but I rather like the idea of helping each other succeed. It’s always a great idea to have a mentor or have friends who are as brilliant as you. When you surround yourself with greatness, you can learn so much from each other. Not only that, whenever I’m feeling disenchanted, I know my girls will lift me right back up. Progress is made a lot quicker with an extra pair of eyes and a support system.
Today, I still have big ideas for my blog. Just because you reach one goal, doesn’t mean that’s the end. I plan ahead with mini-goals towards an overarching “end-game.” It’s expansion enough to fit all my new endeavors, yet direct enough to keep myself on a good track. I always try to keep in mind who I am, and never veer off it. That uniqueness helps keep you motivated to succeed. If you try to do what everyone else is doing, you’ll easily lose commitment and move on. I’m happy to say that although, I always find myself on a different path, I can truly be proud of my own work, and all that I’ve learned from starting this life-project. To me fulfillment is success.
This story is brought to you by smartwater, who believes in making progress every day little by little and sip by sip. That’s how you move up up up.
