Today is the day. I am so excited. It’s like a birthday and an anniversary all wrapped in one. So today I want to do some self reflecting. One, I can’t believe its been 2 years already. It seems like yesterday I was sitting at my laptop debating how to start this blog. I knew I wanted to be dedicated and bam, I said let me go ahead and do it. I did. I was scared. Like why would anyone care what I have to say. Like on the real I struggle everyday to be on point. I don’t put too much pressure on myself to the point where I can’t focus, but I do want to be better than my day before.
With that being said, I want the blog to excel. How do I measure it? Sometimes by the emails I receive from readers when they say they were struggling with a topic that I covered and feel more equipped to handle it. Sometimes by likes, comments, and shares, its sometimes all about the numbers. I am grateful that my site allows me to see how many people read a certain blog and what country the reader is in when they are reading it.
Now to the fun stuff. I have learned a lot about blogging in my second year that I wasn’t aware in my first year. For instance, timing. Often times I would just post and never pay attention to the time of day. But it matters. Readers are all around the world, but there is generally certain days and times that I find that engage readers the most. I would just post as soon as I was done typing and editing. I love that I am figuring these things out because in the line of content, getting it out when it matters most is super important. The other lesson in blogging is having a tough skin. For my first year I got so many people telling me how much they enjoyed it that when I got my first bad review it took me back a little. I had several readers regardless if it was real or internet trolls tell me how much they hated it. My thoughts were hate it or love it at least it was read. My sentiments are still the same. In real life I am not everyone’s cup of tea. So on the internet the same is true. I had to approach blogging in the same way that I approach real life, let it roll off. I am not saying I am above feelings because I am not. I am quite the opposite. I am passionate about what I say and do however I rarely allow people to get to me. I do things like journal, work out, have sex with my husband, or play with my kids before I allow folks who most likely are unhappy with themselves get to me. I know that’s blunt but that’s the realness of it. I used to worry about what others thought until I thought about how at the end of the day most are working their own lives and one opinion don’t stop the show.
The most important lesson that I took from year one to year two is never force a blog. When I blog it is usually something I can’t stop typing. The words flow because it’s coming from a real place. So that is why outside of life events I may have gaps in my blogs for a few days because I would rather it be real and authentic than to be forced just to make sure there is a daily blog out there. Blogs for me have been literally a happy thing for me to do. It’s not a grudge when you love what you do.
Also I try not to talk politics or religion. I have my opinions actually very strong opinions on both but at times I try not to go there. I am not ashamed of my beliefs. However I know that people get really irritated by these types of conversations. I do draw on both at times so if you are a reader you can tell. I am a preacher’s kid. That is the largest lifestyle that I know. Often times I make fun of myself because I feel like I have lived in a bubble for most of my life at least until I was an adult. So I will allude to it. I have gotten people emailing me talking about why would I talk about it like that? I say what anyone under that lifestyle wants to say. I hold nothing back. I respect all but this is my life. I can’t and won’t doctor it up to fit another mold.
A few things I did for today’s celebration was bought some business cards. You would think that in the 2 years ToiTime has been up and running I would have had all of that together however I didn’t. So I got me so much organizational things for the blog as well. I am a visual person so anything that is bright, colorful and about organization which I excel in is super helpful. I can’t wait to share the items as they come in. My goal was to make my blog right before 2017 so when the ball drops I want to be fully operational and ready to rock out with all of you. What are some of the things you want to do but are waiting for something to line up to do? Squash that mindset and make things line up as much as you can. I was always taught that you do what you can and everything else will line up in place. Let me say that as a person who has stepped out on faith a million and one times it works. It’s not a magic trick. You can set yourself up just from doing the right things. So step out.
Blogging is fun for me. So when others ask me how do I blog so often, work full-time, be a wife, and mother to 3 beautiful children, I let them know simply this is my happiness spot. No matter how crazy the topic we discuss this is my happy spot. We all need a happy spot. Something that defines us as a person. Something that makes us smile. And ToiTime is it for me. I hope you enjoy ToiTime because in 2017 the website is going to be changing as well as my domain. I want to be able to offer more and to do more means I have to make room for more blessings. So in this last month I am moving things around and getting ready. I am not waiting for 2017 to come in to make life pop and neither should you. Put what you need in place now to be successful. Thank you for year 2!! We rocking into year 3!!
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