Lessons I Learned in My First Year of Blogging

A year ago today, I published my first blog post and launched Wear the Damn Boots. A little idea that sprouted on a sleepless night of overthinking and second-guessing myself, I had finally had enough. I decided not to waste any more time feeling invisible and insecure and to start fully living my life. I realized that this second chapter of my life was a gift many people do not get.

This newfound feeling of confidence and empowerment drove me to create this blog. I wanted all the women I knew to have this feeling. I wanted them to treat themselves with compassion, love themselves as they are, stop overthinking everything, and step into their power.

Forty blog posts later, lots of writing and reflecting, I've learned a few things I thought I'd share that might help or inspire you.

1. Look for Validation In the Mirror

We all appreciate validation; we often look to friends and loved ones for support and encouragement. But when you start feeling like you're not good enough and constantly seeking outside approval, it's time to take a step back and reevaluate.

Blogging has much to do with outside validation; analytics like how many likes, visitors to the site, and subscribers are exterior validation forms. When the numbers are low, it can be easy to get down on myself and question my purpose. But instead of looking elsewhere for positive validation, I give myself what I seek from others.

2. Promoting Yourself is Hard

There are hundreds of millions of blogs on the internet. Social media is overflowing with people sharing their stories. I believe my website has something to offer people, but it won't inspire or help anyone if no one knows about it. I've been learning how to engage in balanced, healthy self-promotion. It's a work in progress and not always an easy one. It requires being humble while maintaining some confidence.

3. Time is Your Biggest Commodity

Once I fully understood that time is a limited and non-renewable resource, saying no to things that didn't serve my purpose became easier. I started to become more discerning with my time by asking myself two questions: What do I want? Will saying yes to this (request) help me achieve that or prevent my progress? I say no if it doesn't excite me, speak to my values, or further my passion.

4. Nothing Ventured Nothing Gained

An old saying with apparent meaning, without taking a risk, nothing can be achieved. But taking risks is hard; putting yourself out there requires leaving your comfort zone, and I enjoy predictability, and predictability is safe. Sometimes, when we step out of our comfort zone, the reward is greater than the risk. A year ago, I stepped out of my comfort zone and launched this blog, and during this year, I have gained more clarity about who I am and found a passion that I didn't know I had.

5. Start

I'm so happy I hit publish. When I published my first blog post, I wasn't ready; my site still needed work, more photos, and more content, but I published it anyway. I would always have an excuse to delay if I didn't launch it. I was waiting for the perfect time until I realized the perfect time was now. So start scared, start late but start.

Getting this blog up and running has been a huge accomplishment, so I am taking the day to celebrate, reflect and be thankful. I am grateful to each of you who visited this blog, read my post and subscribed to the newsletter. Without you, WTDB would be just another blog. I would love for you to comment below about what you enjoy about WTDB, share something that touched you, or something you'd like to see here in the future.

Cheers,