Can you guys believe we are officially at the 6 month blog anniversary for PLH? Okay fine, it’s actually tomorrow but that’s close enough! I can still remember my entire body trembling with excitement when I hit that LIVE button on September 15, 2017 and the thrill I felt when I announced that the blog was live on social media that day. It was the biggest rush I’ve felt in a long time. What would people think? Would they love it? Hate it? Laugh at it? Thankfully, the response was completely positive and I was overwhelmed by all of the kind words and positive feedback from everyone that checked it out. Since that day, there have been plenty of ups, downs, and LOTS of work that have gone into this little baby. Today I just want to talk a little bit about this wild blogging journey and share some of my major takeaways thus far. 

I shared some of my major lessons after my first month of blogging in this post, and those lessons definitely still hold up today. Editorial calendars are still incredibly important; the comparison game is still very much alive and well; social media is still a fickle little beast; and staying true to myself and my brand is still the #1 priority for me. I think the most interesting thing about these past six months has been the amount of growth that I’ve seen and the knowledge that I’ve gained. Before I started blogging, I don’t think I realized quite how much there is to it. Obviously I knew that it would be hard work but I had no clue how much I didn’t know, if that makes sense.

For example, the number of posts, articles and ebooks that I’ve read about SEO and beating the Instagram algorithm is actually astounding, haha. It’s like a rabbit hole. Once you read one article, you read another and another and another until suddenly it’s been three hours and you’ve got 15 tabs open in your browser window talking about Pinterest and the benefits of Tailwind Tribes. Don’t know what a Tailwind Tribe is? Don’t worry, neither did I six months ago. And that’s exactly what I mean! There is so much behind-the-scenes to blogging and growing your following that I just didn’t even know existed.

And don’t get me wrong. It’s incredibly exciting to me, the more that I learn and uncover about this industry. I love finding out new tips and tricks to better my blog and my content. I love that I’m always pushing myself to be better and improve. For example, maybe you guys have noticed a couple of small changes to the blog over the last month or so. I’ve tweaked my logo to better represent who I am today; the about page will most certainly be getting a makeover in the coming week or so; and I’ve added some new categories to the navigation menu (i.e. like more TRAVEL content coming your way in 2018!!). All of these things, I wouldn’t have thought I’d want to do in just six months since launching, yet here I am. I love that this space gets to continually evolve with me.

I also love that I get to share so much of my life and milestones here with you guys. Things like my 25th birthday, my first time apple picking, heading to the pumpkin patch with my family, recapping last year’s peaks and valleys…this is exactly why I created this space. Looking back on those posts always brings me a feeling of joy and I’m such a sucker for nostalgia that I love to have those memories documented. And getting to share posts to help you all become the hustlers you want to be and getting more of what you want out of life has been so much fun for me. I’m all about giving back and helping others, and if my tips help any of you nail an interview or achieve a goal in your life, that is the best news I can hear.

This post is getting pretty long (y’all know I can go on forever, ha!) so I’ll try to wrap it up here. I’ve gotten a few questions on Instagram about starting a blog/any tips that I have for someone who wants to start one, and seriously my biggest advice is to just go for it and be ready for the hard work. I will never say that blogging is easy, but it is so incredibly rewarding. Going for it will never hurt you. If you start a blog and realize it’s not for you, that’s totally fine and you can just stop! But if you start a blog and you love it, well, you may have just realized your purpose, and that to me is pretty awesome.

Finally, thank you all for your support over these past six months. Thank you for reading this post right now. Thank you for the instagram follow and for the sweet comments and likes. I appreciate each and every one and I just can’t wait to see what this blogging journey has in store for me.

SHOP SIMILAR STYLES!

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