3 Powerful Life Lessons You’ll Learn From Blogging

This week I celebrate one year of blogging. Yay!!! (I searched for an animated confetti emoji to insert here, but alas, that does not exist, so please use your imagination.) One full year of blogging—wow. I’m not sure what amazes me more—the fact that I lasted a year or how fast the year went.

I know that sounds like I didn’t plan on sticking with this blogging thing. No, I absolutely did. But, when I started in April of 2016, there was so much I was unsure of. I wasn’t sure that I would like blogging or that I would be good at it. I wasn’t sure how long I would last.

But I was well aware going in that the blogosphere is littered with thousands of abandoned blogs and did not want to become yet another blog left cold after six months. I was hesitant to start unless I knew I could and would see it through. I knew that there would be times where I would want to quit and that I would need to push through those moments.

So after blogging for a full year, I am legitimately amazed and grateful to still be in the game. As hard and challenging as it is, I have fallen in love with blogging. What started out as a way to have a web presence for my financial coaching has evolved into something that excites me, and I look forward to growing.

What I Have Learned In One Year of Blogging

I could write a ton about what I have learned from blogging for the last twelve months. In fact, I had always planned to write a series of posts at the one-year mark imparting all the insightful wisdom I have gathered over the past year.

But as I prepared to do that, I realized the most valuable lessons I have learned have nothing to do with blogging at all—at least not specifically. Yes, I have learned lots of bloggy things, (I didn’t think that was a word, but don’t see a red squiggly line) but the most powerful lessons I’ve come away with from the past year can be applied to so much outside of blogging.

Okay, you ready? Here they are.

1. You Are Capable of So Much More Than You Realize

I hesitated to write that because it sounds cliche and old. I feel like I ripped it out of some commencement speech (or maybe every commencement speech?). Anyway, I write it because it’s true. You and I have a lot inside of us. But we tend to play things safe and stick with what we know we can do. As long as we continue to do that, we will never see what we’re made of and what we can offer others.

When I started blogging, I made a promise that I would say yes to everything that came my way—no matter how frightened I was or how unqualified I felt. I dubbed 2016 “The Year of Yes.” I know myself and my tendency to shy away from things that frighten me, so I made that deal and committed to sticking to it.

So when after only a few weeks of being in the blogging world, I was asked to do a podcast interview, instead of saying what I wanted to say (“Who, me? No thanks.”) I said “Yes.” When the chance to guest post on bigger blogs came up, instead of disqualifying myself, I tossed my hat into the ring.

I continued throughout the year, saying yes to any and every opportunity. I trusted that only opportunities that I should say yes to would come my way and that is exactly what happened. Many positive things have happened to me in the past year, but none of them would have been possible if I stayed in my comfort zone.

I was discussing this topic with a friend recently, and he wisely said that by embracing what’s scary, we position ourselves to receive greater opportunities that we would have missed otherwise. This is so true.

You are capable of so much more than you realize. What is it that you need to say yes to so you can be in a position to grow, stretch, and accomplish more than you think you can?

2. Your Thinking Has Tremendous Power Over Your Actions

I firmly believe and was reminded throughout this past year that our thoughts can cripple us or they can move us. When I am overwhelmed (which in blogging, is just about every day) and say things like, “I can’t,” or “I’m never going to…,” the overwhelm continues to hang over me and lingers like a bad cold.

There are, of course, tons of tactics and resources to help with the common problem of overwhelm but none of it matters if I’m still telling myself, “There’s no way…” It’s when I start believing I can accomplish what’s ahead of me that I begin to make progress. This quote is littered throughout my blog posts and in just about every interview I give because I believe in it so heavily: “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t—you’re right.” (Henry Ford) Our actions will line up with our thoughts, so we have to be aware and conscious of what we allow ourselves to think.

I attribute a change in my thinking to the reason I got out of debt. Once I stopped thinking the only way to clear up my financial mess was to be struck by the good fortune of the lottery and started believing that I could change things is when well, I started changing things.

So whatever is on your plate—whatever you want and need to accomplish—consider how you’re thinking about it because whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right. Your actions will take their lead from your thoughts.

3. You Need to Celebrate the Good Stuff

I have a Google Doc titled, “When You Feel Fear and Doubt.” It’s a bulleted list of the positive things that have occurred since launching this blog. I add my wins—big and small—and refer to the list when the voices of fear and doubt seem to be louder than my thoughts.

Recently, I started a habit of when writing my daily to-do list, the first thing I write is “Yesterday’s Win: ______” and I start off the day celebrating something good that happened the day before.

It’s important to acknowledge and celebrate the good stuff, or it will get overshadowed by what is wrong, what isn’t done yet, and what is challenging us.

So give yourself permission to (or make yourself) recognize your wins. Whether you’re blogging, paying off your debt, or just going about your day, celebrate what’s good. It will shift your perspective and your focus.

You Knew All This, Didn’t You?

We all know these lessons on some level, but are we (I mean you. I mean we.) applying them? It’s too easy to stay in our comfort zone, give in to negative thoughts, and let our wins take the back seat.

It is evident (at least to me) that we need to repeatedly remind ourselves (and others) of these lessons so we can be intentional in applying them.

After a year of blogging, my biggest takeaways are not what I expected them to be. But these powerful lessons will see me through the next year of blogging and the many years beyond that.

So, Happy Blogiversary to me! Thank you for hanging around, reading, commenting, and sharing. Looking forward to continuing on this crazy journey, and I hope you will stick with me!

Do these lessons resonate with you? Which one do you struggle with the most? Which one are you doing well with?