Lifestyle

Lessons and Tips From a Year of Blogging

August 10, 2017

Happy birthday to Casually Christiana! This summer, Casually Christiana turned one! I CANNOT BELIEVE IT (writing it in capital letters expresses my excitement). Starting Casually Christiana was an incredible decision and I have LOVED working on my blog since day one. I’ve learned so much, connected with so many wonderful bloggers and have the BEST followers and readers I could ask for (yes, I’m talking to you).

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In this one year of blogging, I have learned many lessons, written many blogs, found my blogging niche and so much more. Today, I wanted to highlight some of the biggest lessons I’ve learned this year, along with some tips I’ve found to be helpful. After writing these, I realized that these tips don’t just apply to blogging, but to life in general. 🙂

Set Goals

Always set goals, with anything you do. I’ve always been a huge fan of goals, even before I started blogging. I think goals are so important for many reasons. They motivate you to accomplish something important to you and they encourage you to work hard. Therefore, one lesson and tip is to set goals. Heck – set some goals after you read this blog! There is no time like the present.

Have A Plan

You don’t need to have everything figured out, but it’s good to have some sort of plan. It doesn’t have to be an elaborate plan, but some kind of ground work is good. When I started Casually Christiana, I had a plan. I knew I wanted my blog to be a lifestyle blog. That was one thing! I also knew I wanted to talk about a variety of topics, such as wellness, books, lifestyle, DIY and so on. By having a plan, it helped me tremendously with my blog.

Be You

This one is huge. BE YOU. Don’t be like someone else, be you. I cannot emphasize that enough. A big reason I follow various bloggers is because I like reading their posts and seeing their personality shine through. If you’re trying to be like someone else in your blog, you’re not being true to yourself. Trust me, you are unique and don’t need to be like someone else. Be you, and stay true to yourself.

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Work Hard & Don’t Get Discouraged

I remember when I had my first blog follower. I jumped and cheered and was so excited. I kept writing more and more blogs, and I slowly gained more followers. It can be easier to get discouraged with followers, because obviously you want people to read your hard and passionate work. However, don’t get discouraged. Keep working hard, because great things take time, hard work and effort. Keep working hard, set goals and do not get discouraged – with anything you do.

Join Facebook Blogging Groups

One big tip I have for bloggers is to join blogging groups. These groups are great for support, getting questions answered and getting to know fellow bloggers. Remember my blog and How to Travel Like an Instagram Blogger for Less? I collaborated on that post with a blogger I met on a Facebook blogging group. I love being part of different blogging groups, because they’re a great network of people who love doing what you do.

Here are some of the groups I am part of:

Boss Girl Bloggers | Bloggers Supporting Bloggers | Blogging Boost | Grow Your Blog

Collaborate, Follow & Support Fellow Bloggers

If you want other bloggers to read your blogs, you need to read theirs! It’s important to follow other bloggers, read and comment on their content – let them know you’re reading! It’s so important to support fellow bloggers out there, we are all a team. When you get to know other bloggers, you can even collaborate with them and create some great content. Also, reading other blogs may help spark an idea for your blog! It’s truly a win-win for everyone.

Acknowledge Your Followers

I love my followers and I am so grateful for them (I’m talking to YOU)! It is so humbling to know that you are reading my blog and coming back to read future posts. That’s why it’s SO important to acknowledge your followers – make sure they know YOU are grateful for them and that you’re reading their comments. Have I mentioned how grateful I am for you all?! I am so grateful. 🙂

Love What You Do

My goodness – I can’t emphasize this enough. Make sure you love what you do – whether you are blogging, in school, changing jobs… make sure you’re happy. This applies to life in general, not just blogging, because it’s crucial to love what you’re doing. Life flies by so quickly, so we need to make sure we are enjoying every moment.

Have Fun

I have SO MUCH FUN blogging. Seriously, I absolutely love it. Blogging is no doubt one of my passions and I have so much fun writing posts and engaging with my followers and fellow bloggers. Whatever you are doing in life, make sure you have fun. It’s as simple as that.

WOW. Thank you all for reading and following me on my blogging journey. Thank you to Nic for always being there to support my blog – whether it’s helping me design graphics, being part of my posts, brainstorming ideas for future topics or taking last minute photos of me for my posts – you’re the best and I love you dearly. Thank you to my friend Hannah for taking photos of me for my blogs (all the photos in this post are taken by her) and thank you to ALL of my readers for coming back, reading and commenting – it means the world to me.

I love blogging and I love that I have the BEST FOLLOWERS AND READERS EVER. Here is to many more years of Casually Christiana – this is only the first birthday of many more. There are many more exciting things ahead, folks, and I’m glad you’ll be joining me in the journey.

Love to you all!

♥ Christiana

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