Well friends, here we are. It’s officially been exactly a year since I started Roaming Riley. Not going to lie, it definitely doesn’t feel like it’s been that long. I feel like I just got started and I have so much more to learn when it comes to blogging. No one tells you when you start how much there is to know. You just think “I love to write so why not start a blog?”
When I first started my blog, I knew that at some point I wanted to make it a huge part of my full time career which meant I spent hours reading other blogs about how to do so. And here we are, a year later, and I’m still clueless. At least it feels like it.
When I go on Pinterest, I see all of these income reports. Things like “How I Made $3000 in My First Month of Blogging” or “How I Got 50,000 Page Views in My First 3 Months of Blogging” have been thrown in my face. Repeatedly. It almost makes you wonder what you’re doing wrong?
I’ve put together the site layout, I’ve tried to add affiliate links to posts, I’ve shared my images to Pinterest and group boards, I’ve added ads to site. It feels like I’ve tried everything that should equate to becoming a successful blogger. Except for one thing. And this is the biggest learning lesson in this past year.
I didn’t take blogging seriously.
You’re probably thinking, what do you mean you didn’t take it seriously? I mean exactly what I said. When I started blogging, one of the many things that I found people had said to do was remain consistent. Whether it meant posting once a week on a certain day or a couple times a week. This lets your readers know when to expect content from you and to keep them coming back to see what you’ve come up with.
It wasn’t until the last couple of weeks or so that I really decided to sit down, decide that I want to write 3 times a week, and come up with an editorial calendar for myself. You’d think this was common sense for someone that wanted to become a blogger but I struggled with it. After all, I wanted this blog to be solely about travel. But then the more I thought about it, the more I realized this wasn’t realistic for the time being.
Yes, I do travel all the time. But I’m not an influencer that’s in a new country every single week. I try to travel at least once a month and of course I do hope that as I continue to blog and Instagram, I will be able to get the opportunities to travel to some more exotic places. But for now, I am a millennial who just tries to get out of the Arizona heat as much as I can. I will always write about the places I visit to help those who are looking for guides but I’m also going to be a lifestyle blogger as well.
I think it took me awhile to accept the shift a bit. It took me awhile to realize that if this is what I really want in life, I have to work hard for it. I have to write constantly. I’m lucky though because that’s what I love doing. And rather than viewing it as a job, I’m viewing it as a hobby. And although you have to put in the hours, it’s worth it.
I’m looking forward to the next year of blogging. I’ve got some big trips planned and I’m excited to work my ass for you guys. And although I did not make a living off of my blog this last year, it is my goal to work on it for next year so that in 2019 when I write about what I learned, I’ll be able to proudly say that blogging is part of my full time career and that not working a 9-5 works for me.
Now, if you’re reading this and you’re a fellow blogger, I would love to hear your thoughts on what you’ve come across. Whether it be what works, what doesn’t work, what you love about it, what you hate about it, what you’re struggling with. Anything. Because we’re in this together.
Here’s to another incredible year of Roaming Riley. Excited for the future.
XO.
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