When I started blogging about a year ago, I literally had NO idea what I was doing, I just knew that I wanted to do it. I typed into Google, “how to start a blog”. I researched, I read, I got frustrated, I contemplated giving up (after 2 days lol), and I doubted that I could do it. My problem was, I was thinking too much (shocker). I was thinking too far ahead rather than just thinking about the next step.

After I finally created my blog (which to my surprise, wasn’t that difficult), I spent so many hours and days on the phone with WordPress trying to figure out how to make it look pretty, how to make links work, how to add pictures, how to create pages, etc… After I eventually figured all of that out, I then had to struggle with what to write about. And this part has been more of a recent revelation, and to be honest, probably one of the hardest things for me. I don’t want ALL of my posts to be about beauty. I want to show more than just that side of me, because I am so much more than just beauty and makeup.

I guess what I’m trying to say is…..BLOGGING IS HARD. If you aren’t a blogger, you probably think that blogging is really easy. You take pictures, you write, how hard could it be? But I am here to tell you that you’re wrong.

Bloggers are photographers, editors, content creators, writers, website designers, marketers, social media strategists, entrepreneurs, the list goes on. The work never stops. So much goes into one single blog post (and social media post), and many people don’t see the “behind the scenes” type of stuff and all of the hours spent writing, photographing, collaborating, editing, and perfecting. Since I started filming YouTube videos, the amount of work has increased like crazy, because not only does it take hours to film the video, it can take days to edit it, add links to the video, make the thumbnail, find the right music, get the right picture to post, you get it. I work so much harder now than I ever did working my 8-5 job, but the amazing part is, I LOVE IT.

For me personally, the hardest thing I’m dealing with right now is finding creative ways to get people to WANT to follow along and especially to get them to read my blog posts. It’s hard enough trying to gain a following through social media, and it’s even harder to get people to actually read my blog. What I’m currently doing to try and push through it is staying true to MYSELF and being as authentic as I can.

During this past year, I’ve been trying SO hard to put out the best content I could….and that has actually hurt me in some ways. I started finding that I was trying TOO hard, and in turn I felt like what I was putting out there just wasn’t me. I love beauty and makeup, but that’s not ALL I love. I am a melting pot. I love going to new places, reading books, drinking coffee and margaritas (not together), listening to podcasts, watching documentaries and movies, Netflix binging, going to fun dinners, traveling, shall I keep going? Haha.

So, if you’re a blogger and you’ve been feeling like I have, and you’re in a rut or struggling to find yourself, then I think the best thing we can do is to just stop trying SO hard and just be ourselves. People will see that and connect more, which is why people want to follow us in the first place, right? They want to see the REAL us. They don’t want to see the same ‘ol blogger, posting the same cliche pics as the next. At least I don’t. We have to find a way to stand out, and I think being ourselves is the way to do that….because there is only ONE us.

Being a successful blogger takes time, patience, and a ton of perseverance. Things don’t happen overnight. So if you’re a blogger and you’re finding it hard to stay motivated, know that you are not alone. Just continue to put out great, authentic content, work hard, be yourself, don’t give up, and the readers/followers will come.

I would love to hear in the comments if any of you are struggling with the same thing or have struggled in the past, and what you did or are currently doing to overcome it.

Thank you guys so much for reading!