6 Things I’ve Learned From 6 Years Of Blogging

Last Monday we celebrated the six year anniversary of Hello Gorgeous.  SIX years.  Seeing what Hello Gorgeous has become since my first blog post, just about blows my mind.  I started this blog as a hobby.  A fun way to share my favorite things.  I launched my blog before Instagram was even really a thing for most people.  Pinterest, on the other hand, was all the rage.  Read about my blogging story in this post.

My Gorgeous Girls have been with me through my wedding, moving (more than once!), losing my Mawmaw, pregnancy, becoming a mama and so much more.  You feel like my friends.  I now know many of you by name and feel like this has become so much more than a blog or YouTube channel…  It has become a community.  A family, really.  I’m so thankful for you.  That you have made the decision to follow along with me.  You have made it possible for me to live out my dreams.  I was told I would never be able to make beauty a career, but ladies, I proved them all wrong.  Not only have I been able to turn my passion into a business, but I have been able to connect with amazing women all over the world.  Each day that I get to wake up and do what I love, yet another day, is a true blessing.  Thank you for being a part of my dream.  Thank you for helping make my dream a reality.

Okay, now that I’ve gotten all teary-eyed and sappy, I want to share six things I have personally learned along my blogging journey.

1. Working with your spouse isn’t easy.  Matt shoots (most of) my photos and videos.  We host Hello Baby Podcast together.  Heck, he even came up with the name Hello Gorgeous!  We do everything together.  Fortunately, we enjoy with each other more than anyone else on this planet, but that doesn’t mean we don’t butt heads at times.  With marriage comes a level of comfort you don’t have with anyone else, which means you feels comfortable unleashing on them when you get frustrated.  We’ve learned to be more respectful of each other in the past 6 years, but there are still times when we want to kill each other.  That’s marriage!
2. Switching to WordPress was the best decision.  I blogged on Blogger for YEARS.  I don’t know why I was so reluctant to make the switch to WP.  Once I finally did switch, I was kicking myself for waiting so long.  I love the format and how easy it is to navigate.
3. Stay true to yourself.  When I started blogging, I didn’t know any bloggers.  I just talked about what I loved and loved every second of it.  Then blogging became a thing.  Now everyone and their brother is a blogger.  It’s so easy to see someone else (appear to be) killing it and think that you need to do/look like/write/act like they are…  DON’T!  There is only one you.  Share what makes you, you.  When you try to be like someone else, it shows.  Just do you, boo boo.
4. Stop comparing.  I’m still working on this one myself.  We women play the comparison game in all areas of life and it does nothing but leave us feeling terrible about ourselves in most cases.
5. Give yourself grace.  I’m a creative thinker.  I dream big and never have the time to follow through with a lot of my ideas.  I’m constantly disappointed in myself for my bad stewardship of time.  I feel like I rarely accomplish what I set out to do.  I have to remind myself often that there’s only one of me and I can only do so much.
6. Apply the KonMari method.  If it doesn’t bring you joy move on.  If what once brought you joy has since lost its shine, then it’s time to move on.  Life is too short to be constantly sad, depressed or frustrated.

Again, thank you for being a part of my oh-so-special GGs family.  I hope you’ll stick around for many years to come.  I’m so grateful for your love and support.  Please let me know in the comments below how long you’ve been with me on this journey.