ONE YEAR DOWN, FOREVER TO GO
Today is my 1st Blogiversary! It's been 1 year since this blog was born. I am not sure how other bloggers celebrate their blog Anniversary or if it is normal to celebrate a blog Anniversary, but I like to celebrate big things and little accomplishments so here you go. To celebrate this one year Anniversary of blogging, I wanted to share a lil’ background of this blog, some of the best memories, to look back of my past blogs, and lessons I've had thus far!
One year ago, as I decided to write and to publish my first ever blog post. Time flies so fast. It surely does. It feels like yesterday when I first published my first blog post. Today is the day exactly a year ago when “Beyond Her Cleft” was born. One year, 30 blog posts, seven-thousands of blog visitors, and a multitude of support flowing in! I can't believe how far its come since the first blog post! None of this would be possible without your constant support and encouragement.
I’ve always been in love with writing!
My love for writing started when I was pretty young. I had notebooks filled with ideas, dreams, secrets, goals, feelings, unexpected happenings, stories and some drawings to accompany them. It was something I always found enjoyable. I was in my teenage years when I started reading other peoples blog. I would spend so much time reading their blogs! Since then, I've always wanted to start a blog but I didn't cause I was too nervous to start one, I didn't know where and how to start, also the apprehension of being judged and criticized by others was holding me back for long. Coming from a society where everyone were just making fun of you, judging and manipulating, starting a blog needed a bit of courage and self-confidence.
Main reason why I started a blog
I want to believe that blogging is part of my journey of finding myself and finding what I really want to do with my life. I think it's pretty cute to have something to look back in the future. I also wanted to connect with others and if possible, to positively impact their life — which I think I'm doing very well. I received a tons of positive feedbacks and it is just so overwhelming! I get to do what I've always wanted to do and at the same time I get to inspire a lot of people from different countries!
One thing I want to tell you
In my one year of blogging I can tell you that it wasn't really easy. It has been a rollercoaster ride — one that I enjoyed riding. I actually didn't thought I'd still be blogging after few months of blogging. As I've said, it has been a rollercoaster. But I'm glad I didn't stopped blogging. I started this page posting random thoughts which I private it because it was way too embarrassing but who knows, I might publish it again in the future, haha I'm joking.
The moment I hit the publish button that evening, posted a story on Instagram about it and then I went to bed with my hands shaking. I had no idea what to expect. Would anyone read? When I awoke the next morning, I was surprised to see my blog stats and more came in later that day. People congratulated me and was really happy for me! Since then, I have posted at least one blog post a month for the past four months. I was still doubting and nervous which is why I didn't posted more than one blog post within those months.
February of 2021 when I started to feel comfortable and that blogging has become a part of my routine. I started posting blogs every Saturday but lasted only for two months. Here's why, as much as I wanted to be consistent of posting blogs every Saturday, I just couldn't. College life is just so complicated and stressful that I needed to put blogging to the side from time to time.
What I love the most
Writing makes me insanely happy. I like sharing my life on the Internet (regardless of whether or not anyone reads my words), I like sharing my thoughts, my ideas, important things that are happening in my life, and I like creating stories. Writing has always been therapeutic for me. I get to meet a lot of people from other countries too! I get to know their stories, what they've been through, and how they get through it. A lot of my readers have become my friends and for me, that is the best reward out of writing this blog. That's what I love the most!
Looking back...
As I was saying, I was so nervous when I first published my first ever blog. Although I already said to myself — you know what, screw it. If peoples gonna read my blogs, then thank you. But if they don't, it's okay! At least I have this blog to look back in the future and to show to my grandchildren (you know what I'm saying). It was literally clear. But I'm not sure why I was still nervous publishing my blogs. It has been like that for so long. I guess I was that afraid of being judged and criticized by others. Aminado naman akong my English is not perfect, apaka rami kong typos pero I realized I shouldn't let those things or kahit na sino to hold me back from doing the things that I love. And that's when I started gaining some confidence and stopped caring other peoples opinions. I'm actually am really proud of myself for that! You have no idea, NO IDEA. What I've been through. Gaining some confidence and completely stopped caring about other peoples opinion literally takes so much works for me. I also think it is something worth celebrating.
Lessons I've had thus far
Blogging is no doubt a never-ending learning process. Even tho I don't have any content, I have been blogging for one year yet I still couldn't find the right niche for me and for my blog, that doesn't mean I didn't learned anything at all. I did! I actually can't believe how much I have learned in this one year! When I started I didn't had any idea how to run a blog. I just know I wanted to start. I wanted to express myself, I wanted people to hear me, to see me, I wanted to have a voice and the only way I know how to do that is to start blogging. Blogging is not only about content writing, but it has also so much more to it. You guys, if you have something you always wanted to do, do it. Do it now. I don't care how you would do it, just start. It's now or never. If other peoples opinion is what holding you back from doing the things you've always wanted to do, screw them. Just always remember, you won't ever be truly happy if you keeps on listening to other peoples opinion. You wouldn't want that, do you?
Probably a lot of people wouldn't even consider me as a “blogger” for not having contents but hey, I'm a self proclaimed “blogger”, what would you do about it, huh? ;P
