I started this blog to learn to code and it has become a part of my everyday life. As an excuse to photograph everything, and shop way more than necessary, I turned this little hobby into a viable side job. I have learned a lot along the way but here are 3 of my biggest takeaways. Not all were a direct result of blogging but life lessons that influenced me and Blue Mountain Belle…
Passions are Hard and Balance is Key
As with every passion, there have been times when I wanted to give up. I pushed myself to where I didn’t enjoy blogging, or the comparison game got to me and I felt like just stopping.
But, what would I do with all that free time?? What would I do in the hours before work, during lunch or after work before bed? I would need another hobby!! So why not do something I am passionate about. But to keep that passion alive, I needed to find balance. I found that perfect balance about two years ago. Since then the returns both monetarily and emotionally of the work I put into Blue Mountain Belle and has been sooooo rewarding.
I re-tapped into my creative side and realized I like to blog because I like creating content, learning new things and sharing my life. So I take my time and don’t rush it. I like the challenge of figuring out how to do social media but if I fail I’m cool with it. I love sharing my adventures and photos, even if its 6 months after the fact… I really hate editing photos! I enjoy pushing myself to become a better writer, editor and speller even when someone points out a major misspelling! I let myself enjoy time “off” so that I could enjoy the time when I was working.
The Power of Positive Thought
About a few years ago when I was struggling with stress and my never-ending to-do list, my therapist taught me a super simple trip. Rather than say I “have” to like “I have to finish x,y and z” put a positive spin on it and say “I want to do x, y and z”. All of the sudden that to do list isn’t a chore but a joy to do. You become more realistic about what you can get done and when.
I have always been a fan of positive thinking but this simple trick has completely changed my attitude towards getting shit done. I love the feeling of checking off my to-do list but by letting that passion fuel me in a negative way I was burning myself out. Today, I balance work time, me time, friend time, boyfriend time, family time and blog time. And the blog time doesn’t feel like… Oh, I have to do this, this and this on Sunday. It’s I can’t wait to have a great weekend with friends then get down to business on Sunday and crush my blog!
It’s Either Hell Yes or No
Once you find that balance and keep positive things start to happen for you. For me, the blog kind of took off over the past year and I have been stoked but it can be a little overwhelming. You want to say yes to every opportunity but you always want to stay on brand and not burn out. So I live by a simple little philosophy… When give then option if the answer isn’t HELL YES, it’s no!
When you learn to prioritize based on happiness everything gets a whole lot easier. Why say yes to everything then feel overwhelmed, unaccomplished or even worse – regretful. I only do, accept and work with the brands, companies, and projects I really want to do. I only go to the events and parties I really want to go to! Now to be clear, this isn’t an excuse to not push yourself but if my gut feeling is no… then I pass. This little mantra has helped me to stop wasting time and energy on side projects, friendships, activities, trips… seriously everything! Allowing me only focus on the things I really love and enjoy.
Am I totally satisfied where with the blog is today! NO!!! Gosh, I wish I could do 100x to spruce it up and had 100k followers but I am not going to compromise my happiness on trying to reach those goals. I will get there some day and if not… I’m totally happy with where I am now because every day I get to learn something new! And to me, that is the most satisfying part of the blog.
If you’re a blogger id love to hear what you have learned from your experience too!!
