Happy Birthday to She Dreams All Day!

She just turned two years old. 

I purchased my domain on August 12th back in 2018.

I can’t believe it’s been two whole years already, although sometimes it feels like I’ve been blogging forever and that it’s all I’ve ever done.

I can’t imagine my life without it now. 

Through blogging, for over two years, I’ve learned a thing or two on my journey.

In this article, I want to share my lessons learned with you.

I know how educational and dare I say, inspirational, it can be to read these types of articles.

I for one, have learned so much just by reading about other blogger’s experiences – bloggers that came before me. 

Just for the lovely nostalgia, you can read my very first blog post here. I posted it on August 16th, 2018.

*Cringes*

Before we get into the lessons learned, I want to share some goals and facts with you all.

 

Products I’ve Created Since August 2018

• Planner Bundle
• Dream Morning ebook
• Dreamer To Blogger (blogging course for introverts)
• The Dreamer To Doer Academy (personal development course)
• She Dreams All Day Membership Experience
• Coaching services

 

Goals For The Next Year

• Grow my audience (traffic, email list, and social media following)
• Increase my online visibility 
• Do more video (hello YouTube and live webinars!)
• Launch my brand new membership
• Take on more 1:1 clients
• Hire my first team member (a virtual assistant)

 
 
 
 

Related Reads: 

• 9 Signs You’re Ready To Start A Blog
• Why Blogging Is The Perfect Job For Introverts
• Why Mindset Work Is A Must For Bloggers

 

 

For all my visual learners, here’s the YouTube video for ya. 

  

 

Blogging Is An Ever-Evolving Thing

My blog has changed so much over the years.

From the colors, the fonts, to the messaging, niche, and everything else that goes along with it. 

I started out blogging about everything related to personal development and creating a life you love.

I even blogged about personal finance, and frankly, I have no idea why because that is a topic that I truly know nothing about, to be honest. 

It wasn’t until earlier this year (2020) that I truly niched down and found my unique angle. 

 

My mission: I help introverts start blogs, shine online, and chase their dreams. 

My motto: Quiet people can do amazing things.

 

I’m all about personal growth and blogging for introverts now. 

If you’re just starting a blog, don’t let yourself wallow in decisions for too long.

You can always change it up and things will likely change down the road anyway. 

The best thing you can do is to just start. 

 

 

A Blog Is A Business

When I first started my blog, I did it just to share my thoughts with the world in hopes that I could help and inspire others in the process.

I knew that it was possible to make money blogging, but that wasn’t my focus.

I just wanted to start a blog and I just wanted to write.

This all took a swift turn just a few months into blogging after I discovered that starting a blog is equal to starting a business.

I wanted to make money online and see if I could start something of my own, my own little business that would make a little moolah on the side. 

I started to treat my blog as my business and I become determined and motivated to make magical things happen.

This is also when I did make things happen and started to make my first sales through affiliate marketing and display advertising.

It was so exciting!

From there, I wrote my first ebook, Dream Morning, and started to grow my income even more.

If the goal is to make money blogging and be profitable, you’re starting a business.

I suggest treating your blog like a business from day 0. 

 

 

 

Blogging Will Never Die

People don’t read blogs anymore. 

Blogging is so dead. 

Nah, not true at all.

However, I believe it’s getting harder for new bloggers to be seen and heard due to the growing consumption of podcasts and videos.

There’s just so much content out there and it can be totally overwhelming. 

While I do believe it’s possible to simply blog and make a decent income online (after all, that’s what I’ve done up until now), I think it’s important to implement another medium for your message to be heard by as many people as possible – if you want to grow quickly that is.

Whether that is by podcasting, starting a YouTube channel, or doing IGTVs – whatever floats your boat and feels more comfortable to you. 

Adding another content medium to your blogging strategy will certainly help with building the know, like, trust factor with your audience. 

 

Exciting sidenote: I just hopped on the YouTube train myself and started my very own channel. I can hardly believe it as I’m typing these words because it is something I never thought I’d do. Not in a million years, but here I am, on video. It’s all happening. I’d love it if you would follow my dream-chasing endeavors on there too! 

 

 

 

Blogging Is A Personal Growth Journey

Oh boy, have I grown a lot since starting my blog back in August of 2018.

I’ve learned so much about myself, business, marketing, upped my writing skills and so much more.

Let’s just say when you embark upon your blogging journey you’re also going to uplevel your personal growth in the process. 

I started my blog in secret and I wanted to be anonymous.

I didn’t want anyone in my *real* life to find out I was blogging.

That was just the most terrifying scenario for me. 

2 years into blogging and I am now doing Facebook ads, my face and name are on the blog, I started a YouTube channel and I am taking 1:1 coaching clients.

What in the world happened?!

Well, my confidence has seen a spike since starting this adventure, that’s for sure.

I took online visibility at my own pace and I let it take the time needed for me to get comfortable in my online skin.

It took me a while, but I’m so glad I stuck with it because eventually the girl behind the blog became the girl on the blog and now I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

 

 

Busy bee? Pin this article for later. 

 

 

Blogging Is A Marathon, Not A Sprint

Speaking of time…

I don’t know if you’ve ever heard this saying before but, blogging is a marathon, not a sprint, dreamer.

There is no shortcut to success when it comes to blogging.

It takes a lot of time, hard work and dedication to become a successful blogger. 

I mean a lot of early mornings, late nights, and weekends. 

Blogging is not easy. 

I hear a lot of bloggers talk about how it’s so easy to make money online and how you can make money in your first few weeks as a blogger and so on.

This just isn’t true. Well, unless you get really lucky that is. 

You’re not going to make $100,000 in your first month of blogging, you might not even make that much in the first 1-3 years of blogging. 

You need to make time for your blogging business if you want to grow and have success.

Go all-in – at least for a season.

This means, going completely off balance. 

I can’t tell you how many coffee dates and weekend brunches I’ve turned down in the last two years.

I spent my weekends and nights working on my blog and I would even work during my lunch hour.

I didn’t see my friends much and I didn’t exercise. I was all in. 

You have to be willing to put in the hard work in the beginning, it’ll be so worth it – I promise you.

If blogging was easy, everybody would be successful at it!

 

 

Blogging Ain’t About You

This is one of the most important lessons I’ve learned on my blogging journey. 

When you start a blog, you’re not starting it for you.

Everything you do in your blogging business is for the purpose of helping others.

Your blog exists to solve other people’s problems.

When I learned this is when my blog really took off.

I went out of my way to help and provide amazing value to my audience.

You’re not blogging for you, you’re blogging or them. ✨

 

 

Mindset Is Everything

I believe that running a successful blogging business is 20% strategy and 80% mindset.

You can’t be successful without a mindset that supports the results you want to create for yourself. 

The strategies and tools you learn won’t work if you don’t take responsibility for your thoughts. 

Our thoughts create our results. 

I made personal development and mindset work part of my daily routine from day one.

I don’t think I’d be where I am today if I didn’t have an-anything-is-possible-mindset that supported my dreams and goals. 

If you have the right mindset, there’s nothing you cannot do or have. 

 

 

Competitors = Inspiration

At the start of my blogging journey, I would constantly compare myself to other bloggers. 

I’d compare my chapter 1 to their chapter 20.

This was such a big mistake.

I turned this around and started to look to my competitors as inspiration instead.

If they can do it, I sure can.

I mean, they’re just ordinary people with a laptop and an internet connection, right?

Never ever compare your journey to someone else’s.

We’re all different and we’re all on our own paths. 

There is no such thing as unique messages, just unique messengers.

I don’t know who coined this saying but I love it so much and it’s so true. 

No one can tell your story quite like you.

There’s an audience for everyone.

Someone who relates to you may not relate to my brand or messaging at all, even if we write content around the same topics. 

Find peace in the fact that you’re not for everybody and that your people are out there waiting for you to tell your story – your way. 

There will always be room for new bloggers.

There will always be room for you. 

 

 

You Don’t Need To Be An Expert

When you start a blog you don’t need to be an expert or have a degree within your chosen niche (unless of course, you’re blogging about legal stuff or anything like that).

Passion and curiosity is enough. 

As long as you’re passionate, want to learn more about your niche, and don’t mind writing weekly content on the topic, you’re good to go. 

Don’t let “becoming an expert first” hold you back from starting your blog. 

Your authority and expert-ness will grow as your blog grows. 

 

 

Anything Is Possible With Blogging

Start a blog and anything is possible.

I know this may sound a little woo-woo and airy-fairy but it truly is. ✨

If you’re willing to put in the hard work, there’s no cap on the influence you can have, the people you can help and inspire, and the money you can make. 

Blogging is such a rewarding job and I’m so thankful to the past me who went for it back in 2018.

If I could high five her, I’d do it daily. 

Starting a blog as an introvert has been the best decision of my life and it is safe to say that blogging has made it a gazillion times better. 

If you’ve been toying with the idea of starting your own blog, I want to personally invite you to join my FREE Start Your Dream Blog Course for introverts and dreamers. It’s a five-day course that will teach you everything you need to know to get your new blog up and running. I’d love to have you on board!

Sign up with your name and email below and join us.