Today’s a special day (well actually, Sunday was a special day haha): My four year blog anniversary! To celebrate, I’m sharing four lessons I’ve learned over the past year 🙂
Outfit Details
Eliza J Gown c/o | Show Me Your Mumu Coat (old – similar here) | Mary Frances Handbag c/o (also seen in this post) | J.Crew Factory Headband (sold out – similar here)
So here it is….my four year blog anniversary. And I’m legit crying ugly tears right now (Kim K style). At this very moment, there’s an influx of emotions that completely overwhelms me in the best way possible. Blog anniversary posts always make me so emotional. Maybe it’s because as bloggers we write out the details of our hopes, dreams, successes and failures week after week. It’s a digital diary of sorts and it’s so crazy to go back to where it all began…because sometimes we need that reminder. Seeing your life unfold in front of your eyes in the form of blog posts is truly amazing and somehow, it gets better and more unbelievable with each passing year.
Sometimes we get so caught up in day to day life that we forget just how much we went through to get there. When life gets crazy and we feel overwhelmed or we start to compare our lives to others or we feel down on ourselves because things aren’t working out the way we think they should, it’s important to remember where you came from and to remind yourself that you are living and breathing your dream…the very thing you’ve been chasing all your life…the thing that you sacrificed for, overcame hardships for, persevered through rejection for and the thing you never gave up even when the odds weren’t in your favor. You see, I truly do believe that things happen for a reason. Doors open when you least expect them to and sometimes your life turns out the way it’s supposed to even if it’s painful in the process. There is not a day that goes by that I’m not grateful for every single thing (good and bad) that brought me here. This blog and this community have completely changed my life in so many ways and I can’t thank you enough for following along on my journey. I an only hope that my story inspires you as much as you all inspire me.
Four Lessons Learned in Four Years
Take Risks
If you can dream it, you can do it! Think about your biggest passion…something you would do even if you weren’t getting paid and do everything you can to MAKE IT HAPPEN. But that’s the thing… YOU have to make things happen for yourself. Opportunities don’t come knocking at your door. You have to hustle, sacrifice and work really, really hard but if you want something bad enough, it WILL happen. There’s always an excuse or an underlying fear that it won’t work out and if I’m being honest, we’re our own worst enemies. It’s not the right time…we’re not good enough…we don’t know how to do it….these are all lies – you can totally do this! If you believe in yourself, it’s entirely possible to create your dream life (whatever that looks like for you).
Be Confident
In the past, I always mistook confidence as cockiness and I wanted no part of it. However, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized just how important it is. I allowed others to crush my confidence and self-esteem in every way imaginable. I truly believed that I wasn’t good enough in every aspect of my life because of the lies that others had made me believe about myself. Little by little, I am learning how to feel confident in myself and it really is such a game changer. I’m learning how to feel comfortable in my own body, how to be confident in my skill set and talents and how to network with others, something that was completely terrifying to me even just last year.
Guard Your Heart
I am too nice. This is a fact. When someone needs help, I’m the first to respond and somehow, this always ends up one sided. In the past, I was a bit too naive when it came to other people and their intentions. I learned the hard way that most everyone is out for themselves and if you stand in their way…too bad. I also learned that you cannot depend on anyone else but yourself. There are some sneaky people out there that take advantage of my kindness and openness only to further themselves and their initiative, which usually results in me feeling used and abandoned. With practice, I have learned to discern a person’s true intentions and who they are as a person, but it’s not always so easy. Of course not all people are like this, but I have learned that I need to put myself before others and not be overly trusting.
Be Yourself
This has been the biggest lesson (*ahem* revelation) I’ve learned so far and I’m actually going to dedicate a whole post to it in the coming weeks. It’s so hard to be yourself in a world that doesn’t always celebrate the strengths of each individual person. While I do share some personal tidbits from time to time, it has been SO hard for me to go all in and be vulnerable. I’m not like everyone else and that’s what scary because it’s so much easier to be judged. However, the longer I blog, the more I realize just how important it is to stand out and be different. It can be really hard to embrace your uniqueness when you see certain things working for other people, but you have to remember that the things that are working for others are the things that make them unique and the things that work for you will be entirely different. Moral of the story: Don’t try to be like other people. You have a specific set of skills for a reason, you look the way you do for a reason and your personality is the way it is for a reason. Embrace who you are 100%.
Year Four was a whirlwind beyond my wildest dreams. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your endless support and encouragement! Love you all so much!
Cheers!
xo
P.S. If my story, style or feed has inspired you in any way over the past four years, I’d love if you could share a short testimonial about why you follow me **here** (it takes less than a minute). I applied for an amazing opportunity as a Sephora ambassador and it would mean the world if you could show your support <3 This would be such a dream for me! Thank you so much for everything!
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