Welcome back to Blush & Camo! Today I’m SO excited to celebrate with you my 4th Blogiversary!! I cannot believe 4 years ago I hit “publish” on my first blog post and now I am a full time blogger. It may be cliche to say, but it if you follow your dreams it’s amazing where you will end up!

I wanted to do something special for my blogiversary post so today I’m sharing my top 4 blogging lessons I’ve learned so far! I also want to show a few throwback pictures for you to see. My content has definitely changed over the years!

I looked at my very first blog post today and got a little emotional reading it. If I could tell myself something back then it would be to trust my instinct and that everything is going to work out in perfect timing!

Here are 4 of the biggest lessons I’ve learned so far in 4 years of blogging!

1.) START WITH YOUR “WHY”

When I wanted to start a blog I asked myself why. Why did I want to create and cultivate this little space on the internet?

I knew at my core my “why” was to help women look and feel their most confident. Over the last four years I’ve refined my “why” which is: To inspire women to elevate their lifestyle and grow their dream wardrobe through budget friendly tips.

The reason why you need to have your “why” is because blogging, or starting your own business, is hard. You might start to get bogged down in the contracts, or the comparison game, or feeling like there is too much on your plate. When days like this happen, and I promise they will, you need to remember why you started.

In the course of 4 years I’ve lost count of the times when I didn’t think I was good enough, creative enough, or strong enough to continue blogging. When times like this happen I always remember my “why” and it always brings things into perspective.

2.) TACKLE ONE OBSTACLE AT A TIME

When I first started blogging I knew NOTHING! Not even how to purchase a URL or what the heck a hosting site was. I literally started from the very bottom and worked my way up one obstacle at a time. If I were to have waited until I thought I knew everything about blogging or felt comfortable I never would have started.

Take each obstacle one at a time and try to compartmentalize them! The blogging industry is constantly changing so there’s never been a time when I think I’ve learned everything there is to know.

I always joke and say that blogging is a lot like playing wack-a-mole; once you think you’ve solved one obstacle another one pops up for you to conquer.

The best news is that as you grow in blogging or want to start a blog there are SO MANY free resources to help you get started! I also suggest reaching out for help when you need it. Your strong points may be styling clothes and social media but you may need help in other areas.

I’m not a subject matter expert in graphic design, so I have someone on my team who works on my site. I’m not an expert in video editing so I have another person on my team who edits my videos for me. Tackling obstacles doesn’t necessarily mean doing all these things yourself. Reaching out or hiring amazing people to help you is another great way to grow your blog and business!

3.) CULTIVATE YOUR GIRL GANG

Guys are included!

I cannot stress this enough. Cultivate a strong group of people who support you and your decision to start a blog or business. When I first wanted to start a blog I told my husband (then boyfriend!) Chuck first. His initial reaction was, “That’s amazing! I’m so excited for you and I know you’ll be an amazing blogger.” His second reaction was, “What’s a blog?!” 🙂

There will be days when you need your support system to vent, bounce ideas off of, get advice, etc. This core group of people will keep you going and sometimes tell you your “why” even when you forget.

4.) CREATE MORE THAN YOU CONSUME

It’s so easy to get caught up in the comparison game. I promise that if you are looking for someone prettier, more Instagram followers, or more designer items- you’ll find it. You get sucked into the rabbit hole of comparing everything about yourself to people on Instagram, you feel horrible about yourself, and then guess what?! Your creativity is shot. You put all your time into comparing that when it comes to create it’s almost impossible.

When I first started blogging full time last November my routine used to be get out of bed, make coffee, check all social media handles, check my email, and then check RewardStyle.

This routine made me creatively deficient. This is because the first thing I was doing every morning was comparing my followers, likes, emails from brands, commissions, etc before I even had a sip of coffee. It put me in a bad mood for the day and creating blog posts was super hard, if not impossible.

I knew that something needed to change so I switched up my routine.

The mornings are when I am the most creative so I block out 7a-12p for creating blog posts, IG Stories, and YouTube videos. I try to consume as little social media as possible during that time.

I also try to limit my time on social media to a few hours (I know that sounds like a lot, but keep in mind my job relies heavily on social media!) a day. I try to block out those times so I am not aimlessly scrolling and getting sucked into the comparison game.

This routine greatly increased my creativity so I am creating more then I am consuming!

I feel like I could create a separate blog with just lessons I’ve learned from blogging, but these are the top 4 lessons I’ve learned over the past 4 years.

THANK YOU for every like, comment, blog visit, and your support over the last four years. It means the ABSOLUTE world! I can’t wait to see where the next four years take us!

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xx, Julianna