I can’t believe its been a year since I started consistently blogging! As I mentioned in my Best of 2014 post, I started this blog when I was pregnant with Mila… wrote a few posts and then didn’t write again for an entire year. (Here’s that post from last Feb)

Going into this, I knew content was king, but there are so many other factors I had NO CLUE about. I have learned so much this past year, I couldn’t possibly write them ALL down, but I did narrow it down.

Here are 6 things I learned in my first year of blogging.

1. Comparison is the thief of all joy

This is true in life, and in the blogging world as well. When I first started blogging I was SHOCKED by how many others were out there. I had a few blogs I enjoyed reading before I even got into all this, but beyond that I had no clue. I used to think, “I can’t compare to this other fancy site… or those professional-looking pictures… ” It can be overwhelming to see what’s out there, but try not to let it get to you. There is enough room for everyone!

2. Some people won’t get it

So what is a blog? What do you write about? Who reads it? Just a small sampling of the questions I was asked when I started blogging. (and sometimes still get asked today) I know a lot of my friends have no idea why I blog, and that’s okay.

3. Be careful with sponsored posts

Once your blog starts getting popular, you will likely start getting offers to write paid posts. I got a lot of offers in a short amount of time. I was so shocked that people wanted to pay me *AND* give me free stuff on top of it, that I accepted almost everything. It was a HUGE mistake. I had a few weeks where I had a TON of sponsored posts, many on a strict deadline. The whole thing stressed me out. Now I am super picky when accepting sponsored posts and I am much happier.

4. It’s blogging, not rocket science

Blogging is a way for you to express yourself. No one can write a post exactly like you… which is good, since there is a big chance you will be writing about stuff that other people have touched on before. For me, since I am a ‘mommy blogger’ this is particularly true. There are only so many mommy-related topics out there. We all talk about basically the same stuff… parenting, potty training, crafts, pacifiers, bullying… it’s rare to have a post on a topic that hasn’t been done in some form or fashion.

5. You will get stressed out

Blogging is a lot of work. Writing, pictures, editing, promoting on social media… it is more work then I ever thought it would be. I really love doing it, so most of the time, it doesn’t feel like work. But there have been a few times when it did. So I took a break. When I have nothing to write about, or I don’t feel like being on social media… I will give myself a week off. I have done that two times so far and felt much better afterwards.

6. Find other bloggers

This is probably the most important. There is an amazing community of bloggers out there. I didn’t realize that going into it. I have met so many awesome women through my blog and it is a very important factor if you want to grow. I love sharing great content from other sites, and in return, they share my stuff when it is something they really like. I met most of these women through SITS girls, I highly recommend all bloggers check them out.

So there you go! I still have much more to learn, especially on the technical side. SEO, photography, graphics… I could go on and on. Right now, I am just going to focus on writing posts that make me happy & hope the rest will just fall into place!

Thanks again to Lauren for sharing this guest post. Visit Lauren’s blog Working Mom Magic by clicking here!