Year 5 in Review: Five Things I've Learned From Blogging
Hi Loves! Today is a special day for me because on this exact day 5 years ago I launched Mane Style Blog. I am so grateful for all the support and love I have received over the years.
This has definitely been a journey and I can’t wait to see how I continue to grow and elevate over time!
Wow, I can’t believe I hit year 5! Through the ups and downs, the months of falling off (lol), I am still here putting in work and trying. Emphasis on the trying.
I can say that this year is the first year I’ve been super consistent with the occasional mental breaks I’ve needed to take. This is the year that I stepped out of my comfort zone and finally branched out to having YouTube as a platform.
This is the year where I checked off the task of creating a media kit to put myself out there and share my worth.
Year 5 is the year that I set a goal of working with 3 brands and knocked it off the list before 2020 ended. Special thank you to Tailored Beauty, The Femailer, and Alya Skin (stay tuned) for taking a chance on me. Reaching this goal so soon just let’s me know that God has more in store for me!
I am proud that I continue to push through the discouragement, doubt, and inconsistency. It can get a bit hard when you’ve been doing this for this long and not seeing the results you want. However, this year showed me that it’s all about patience and moving in God’s timing. What’s for me will come in due time!
For anyone who is interested in blogging or is on the same journey as me, here are 5 things I’ve learned from blogging:
Be patient!
Everything that is supposed to happen will happen at the right timing. Just keep pushing forward and putting out things you love and everything will fall into place. Don’t let things not happening according to your “own timeline” discourage you. It’s going to come!
Consistency is key!
“I owe it to myself to be consistent” is the one thing that has kept me on my toes this year. This is the real key to seeing growth. Like I said before, this is the first time I’ve remained consistent as possible to push out content and from there I was given opportunities. You have to be consistent to show credibility and build a community upon your audience. Google calendar, Asana, Planoly, and an old-fashioned planner are all good resources to help you stay on track!
Set realistic goals!
Starting off I never had any goals set. This is where I went wrong. I didn’t have anything set in place to push me to want to be consistent. I set goals in place for the new ideas I wanted to implement and the collaborations I wanted to achieve for the year. Goals will help you to have something to strive for and put your best foot forward.
Transparency and Authenticity wins!
Everything is all about being yourself! The post where I receive the most love are the ones where I share my journey through life and the things I’m going through. For example, my Post Grad Blues post did very well because it was so relatable. I was in a hard place at the time and wanted to share my emotions with my audience. Your audience is here because they can relate to you in some way, so don’t be afraid to be vulnerable and transparent. You never know how your story can help someone!
You can do anything you put your mind to!
I fall into the trap of self-doubt quite often, but Mane Style has shown me that I am capable! I am more than capable! Anything, I put my mind to and ask God for his guidance I can get it done. If you have a vision or dream, you can do it! It’s in your heart for a reason you just have to take the steps to start. Mane Style was on my mind for a while before I even got started. One day I just had to take a leap of faith and say I can do this and now here I am!
Again, thank you all for your support. I love and appreciate everyone who has been here through this journey with me!