Five Lessons Learned in My First Two Years of Blogging

Each year, usually around my birthday, I like to look back over the previous year and reflect on the lessons I’ve learned. Recently I’ve passed a birthday, and the 2nd anniversary of my blog, and I’ve decided that it is time for my yearly look back.

The last year has been rough, possibly one of the roughest of my life. I survived and am beginning to thrive again. After all, that which does not kill us makes us stronger. While I may agree with the sentiment, I am not so fond of the trials.

I won’t bore you with a retelling of the trials, but I did want to look at some of the thoughts that have come to mind from the past two years of blogging.

Through all the ups and downs, I’ve managed to blog most weeks, keep up with my writing practice (sort of) and have even learned a thing or two.

Here are a few things I’ve learned during this creative journey I’ve been on for a while:

1. Blogging is hard. Writing every day is hard. Even when life is going okay, it is hard to show up day after day at your desk to get the work done.

2. When your tired, rest. Don’t quit. I’ve seen this saying all over social media lately, and I’ve taken it to heart. Even when things aren’t looking good, try giving yourself a break which can be a balm for the soul.

3. Creativity never runs out. Things may feel a little dry at times, but getting a new perspective on things can help breath new life into your work. Julia Cameron writes about artist dates, taking the time to recharge your creative juices by going to a bookstore or museum. I’ve found that rearranging my space can help get things moving again.

4. Though I control what goes onto my blog, I cannot control how it is received. As a person with control issues, this is a particularly challenging lesson to learn. I can’t seem to wrap my mind around the posts that do particularly well are often ones that didn’t seem all that wonderful to me.

And, finally:

5. This creative life is worth all the struggles. Even when things are rough, and my mind is blank, I know that this is temporary and I am right where I am supposed to be. I can’t imagine being anywhere else except right here.

It is good to take a look at the past, sometimes. Lessons are everywhere, and it’s good to learn them.

However, life goes on, and its time to take the lessons we learn and apply them to our future. Without that, we are stuck.

And, no one likes being stuck.

What would it take for you to get unstuck?

Is your life, creative or otherwise, moving forward the way you want?

What would you need to make that happen?