Self Confidence + Blogging

I've drafted a "What I've learned in three years of blogging" post about 20 times, and for some reason I just haven't been satisfied with how the words are flowing. I'm probably just being overly self critical and paranoid, but hey that's okay. One thing that's easy for me to write about is how I've grown up confident in myself and how blogging has influenced my confidence as well. Happy Monday, team and here's to a new blog post! 

It's pretty difficult growing up. Especially throughout the teenage years. There's so many outside pressures, expectations, hormones, all while learning the necessary college readiness skills and applying for jobs and whatever else. I'm not going to say it's harder for girls, but I don't exactly have any experience as a boy, so I can only speak for my struggles. 

I started this blog when I was 13. I don't count 13 as a teenager despite the obvious "teen" in thirteen. I was still in middle school learning vocabulary words and doing fun assignments and not having to worry about standardized SAT's, ACT's, AP exams and other things that occupy my conscience now. I was awkward, unsure, and scared. I didn't like talking to people, talking in front of people, and I just preferred to keep to myself. People knew me as a nice girl only because I didn't speak up or say anything that I really thought.

Because I was too scared to speak about anything of importance in class, I asked my parents if I could create a blog where I could share my thoughts and find myself. My parents were down and Classy Cathleen was born. 

What my blog has done for me has showed me what I can do for myself and has made me the girl that I am today, and I honestly cannot fathom what the majority of my awkward teenage years would have been if it weren't for blogging.

I mean, since age 13 I've been working with companies and brands, collaborating with other young bloggers, managed a consistent editorial calendar complete with written content and social media posts. I've hosted linkups, twitter chats, and provided advice to other young girls aspiring to be a blogger and social media influencer. In essence, I've had a job these past three years. Of course, lately I've had to take some more time off from this job, but the quote "Wherever you are, be all there" definitely described my first 2 years of blogging, and I'm working to find myself and "be all there" again. 

But back to my self confidence. 

It takes a few balls to reach out to a company and request free products or a collaboration, or a paid opportunity. You have to learn the art of self marketing and business pitches in order to be successful at this. For a 13 year old girl that on a good day wanted to crawl out of her skin and find a better body and become a bigger, more relevant person, this was scary. I didn't want to hide behind an online persona, so I made a list of positive characteristics of myself and my blog at the time. After I had been blogging for about 8 months, I reached out to my first company. I mentioned some of the characteristics I had listed and formulated them into a solid pitch for the company to partner with me. I was successful. I couldn't believe it. THEY WANTED TO WORK WITH ME! 

For someone that often didn't feel good enough, pretty enough, cool enough, etc. This was a huge deal. This is where my self confidence and my blog ultimately took a turn. Someone other than my family thought I was worth their time, and that changed my perspective. At this point my faith was a little shaky too if you couldn't already tell, so I know this all may seem silly or artificial, but believe me to a 13 year old who was striving for success without her classmates or community finding out, this was a leap in the right direction. 

If you've never stopped to think about what you like about yourself and what other people like about you, I highly recommend that you do it. It's really eye opening as well as therapeutic. 

After I begun to feel confident in myself and my abilities, blogging became easy. My words weren't forced, they flowed easily. 

When kids at school found my social accounts and later my blog, I was nervous at how they would receive it. If they would receive it. If I would be "accepted". Then I stopped to think about what I was thinking. Why did it matter if others thought what I was doing was silly and stupid? Answer: It didn't. When I got called "Classy Cathleen" in class, I accepted the title like a badge of honor. I learned that you have to show people how you want to be treated and what is okay for them to talk about. Things only hurt you if you let them... boy, how cliche did that sound... but I am serious, and I firmly believe that if throughout middle and high school, you show people what's okay and what's not okay that they will either respect that, or their true colors will show. That's true self confidence. 

Putting yourself out there on the internet is slightly frightening at first, but surprisingly easy which is how some of my peers can get into trouble. However, producing content - writing + photography has kept me busy and motivated. Where some of my peers are scared about the future, and have no idea what they want to do for the rest of their lives, I've been practicing - in a sense - for my career every day since the 8th grade. I've learned that instead of becoming someone else to be successful online, sometimes your real and raw, authentic self is more than enough to be successful. 

Skip ahead three years and I'm here, in my bed, at 4 in the morning, blogging. Nothing's really changed. I'm more confident, and I don't care what people think about me. People at school know about my blog and read it too. My irrational fear of not being accepted or appreciated or whatever I was even afraid of is put to rest. Without having a blog, I never would have become the person that I am today. I'm forever grateful for whoever and whatever put the idea of blogging into my head. Because without it, I have no idea who I would be. 

Thanks for sticking with me through another long and rambling post, friends

Favorite Free Fonts

This past Summer I've been busy with all things Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. I've taught myself how to use both, and I've been pretty successful with the programs. In process of teaching myself, I've become slightly RIDICULOUSLY obsessed with fonts (and this time I really mean obsessed)! I've spent hours upon hours downloading fonts and trying them out on various projects. I've pushed all things that actually matter in my life to the side countless times to look at more fonts. For example,I'm writing this on Tuesday and my first day of junior year is tomorrow and I have not yet completed a few Summer assignments. #oops I'll get my life together one of these days y'all!

- UPDATE: I FINISHED + TURNED IN MY SUMMER WORK WOOOOHOOOO -

Because I believe in sharing love and happiness, here are my favorite fonts and I hope that you too will find joy (try not to get too obsessed, okay?). See below for more fonts and direct download links!

5 Reasons To Be on Twitter

Twitter was launched July 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, Biz Stone, and Noah Glass. It has grown incredibly in the past 10 years to include now, 19% of the entire adult population and 24% of all teens use Twitter. I know by the numbers, it sounds like only a small percent, but if you look at the actual number of people on Twitter (1.3 billion) There really is no denying how huge this social media site is. There are famous people, politicians, world leaders, entrepreneurs, bloggers, business owners, and just regular citizens with Twitter accounts. Fun facts: Justin Bieber has more followers than Spain has people and Caitlyn Jenner reached 1 million followers in 4 hours. Those are crazy Twitter success stories of famous people... but still just goes to show how many active followers and users there are on this social media base. If you're reading this as a blogger, who is not on Twitter... You need to get your butt on there NOW, and I'm about to give you some reasons why. Also (I feel like I usually write to just bloggers, but if you're a non-blogging normal teen here's some reasons for you to be on twitter too). 

Quick Stats-

347,000 Tweets are sent a minute
320 million active users a month
1 billion unique visits to the site
100 million users are active daily
65 million US users

To non-tweeting bloggers:

Increase Your Audience // Twitter is where the majority of my readership finds me. I've interacted with other bloggers that I never would have discovered if it weren't for the website, and they would have never found me either if it weren't for Twitter. I know there are a couple major blog conferences and advice posts that say to "put all your eggs into one social media basket" and really focus on that one. I agree with that to a point, but I think Twitter is the best way to show people your writing style, personality, what you're interested in, what you care about, etc. in 140 characters. I use my Twitter account as almost a sampling, and if they like what they say, I constantly tweet links to my blog and my link is always in my bio of course so they're directed to my site. Anyways, Twitter is such an interactive social media and it's great for growing your audience.

Making Friends // I love how interactive Twitter is. It's almost difficult to be on Twitter and not make a couple friends as a blogger. You never miss a post from your favorites and they'll never miss a post from you either! It's also super easy to show your support with a simple "like" or help them gain a few views on a post by "retweeting" or sharing their post with your followers. Twitter Chats are great ways to interact with and meet new bloggers and also gain a following!

Bringing Attention to Old Posts // Instagram won't let you reshare old blog posts on it like Pinterest and Twitter will. But with Pinterest's weird algorithm, there's really no guarantees that anyone will see it. On Twitter, you can at least get a few views from tweeting out a post which takes no worry and less than a minute to do. As all bloggers can relate, sometimes we have wonderful posts from way back that have significantly lower numbers than others. While of course it's never about the numbers.... They do play somewhat of a role in the business part of being a blogger.

Show Your True Colors // I mean, if you're into authenticity and being transparent on the internet... and you're not on Twitter as a blogger, people might think you have something to hide. Twitter is a place where yes, it's doable to pretend not to be yourself... but it's difficult and stressful I imagine. I know just from being on Twitter that there is so much I would love to "retweet" and "like" but I have a mental list of things that would inappropriate to share with my readership. Even though it's important to show who you really are, be sure you're still being respectful... not those passive aggressive, angstful teen Twitter accounts, or anything vulgar and inappropriate. Keep it clean while you're showing yourself for the world to see.

Go Beyond the Blog // I know how hard it is to maintain an active blog site during a busy time... it takes time, effort, and putting off some of your "real world work" to put some work into your passion. However, posting a tweet takes under 15 seconds to do (depending on the tweet of course) and you can even schedule tweets so that it really takes no time out of your day. You can fill readers in on what's going on in your life and why you've been away from your blog. I know I've definitely used Twitter to inform readers a lot in the past months while school has been hectic. Readers enjoy that I'm still making the effort to connect with them and other bloggers enjoy that I'm still reading and sharing their posts. You can give sneak peeks of the reality behind a blog post or Instagram pic, ask for help with a particular project, really the possibilities are endless with Twitter so it's really wonderful.

I personally have maintained a successful Twitter account by sharing relateable material that bloggers, non-bloggers, college students, high school students, etc. can relate with. Posting at particular times when I know the numbers of people on Twitter go up, and scheduling tweets throughout the day help me to keep my followers increasing and my interaction with other users up as well. Twitter is in real-time, and allows you instead of writing a blog post right then and there, to tweet your opinion and accumulate other's opinions as well. Twitter polls can be used by bloggers to benefit them in remaining personable with their audience, as well as relateable gifs and material that you retweet. Your followers will absolutely love seeing a different, more real side of who you are aside from your blog.

To non-tweeting teens:

Know What People Are Talking About Worldwide // Twitter allows users to know what's "trending" and what everyone is talking about. During the different political debates this year, Twitter is the best way to keep up with the latest and outrageous comments said by Trump and other fun stuff like that. Also any award shows, I don't watch them... but I found out about the latest with Leo from keeping up on Twitter! Basically any popular culture event (Kylie's lip kit, fashion week, Damn Daniel, ect.) is on Twitter and can be found by using the discover tab to see what everyone's been talking about lately.

Breaking News // Of course apps like CNN, NBC, Fox, etc. send you notifications as soon as anything crazy happens... but following those news stations on Twitter is an even faster response than following their websites. I mean think about it... It takes no time at all to tweet breaking news, but writing and posting an article takes a little longer. Usually sources are pretty accurate (there was a "shooting" at my local mall during Primary week, and I wouldn't have known without Twitter) and include pictures. Also, since outlets are limited to 140 characters, you only get the important details from the event.

Make Internet Friends // It's not just bloggers that can meet people on the internet that instantly become their best friends even though they could be as far away as halfway around the world. Of course, I've also met people that are in the neighboring school district from me. The friendships people make just from social media are actually really incredible. Twitter is a wonderful way to meet people because right off the bat you can see what they stand for, who they admire, what they find comical, what angers and upsets them, virtually everything.

A Good Laugh // Twitter is full of hysterical accounts that can get me laughing to the point I pee myself some times. From wisdom teeth videos to funny animals, Damn Daniel to funny photos and memes, there's a funny for everyone on Twitter. When I'm up late and it's been a long day at school... I simply long onto Twitter, scroll through my feed till I find something funny, do some minor stalking, and then I end up almost peeing myself from laughing. Also, where else are you going to find a social media account solely dedicated to goats. Side note: I freaking love goats.

Keep Up With Your Favorite Companies, Famous People, etc. // I know this is kind of a weird and teenager-y reason to have a Twitter, but honestly some of the stuff celebrities post is absolutely hilarious. You can also keep up with your favorite brands and companies for when they do giveaways! Kanye West kills me and sometimes famous people might surprise you with their deeper thoughts... or not.

Anyways, Twitter is a smaller social media (compared to Instagram and Facebook) but one that is both extremely entertaining, helpful, and important to be on to keep up with news and what's going on in the world. I HIGHLY recommend that if you are not yet a part of the site, you join soon, and if you're a blogger, you hop on that even faster! You're missing out on a completely different audience by staying off of Twitter... Anyways, this post probably was a little weird if you already have a Twitter, but hope you enjoyed!

So You're Officially a Teen Blogger... Now What?

Almost all teens want to be famous. If not a big movie star or politician or talk show host, they want to be internet famous. To be recognized as a genuinely funny person and made a Vine star... A YouTube vlog sensation... Instagram famous for your incredible photography skills... Just something so that people will recognize you when you go to the mall, out to eat, to the movies, at the grocery store... I've noticed kids my age aren't picky. They just simply want to be famous. I mean not gonna lie, I would love to be picking up my hummus and crackers and be recognized by some readers or followers. I would love to see my instagram account hit that 10k mark and my blog to be read by almost every teenage girl. But in the grand scheme of things, I know it's not that important. Anyways, what I'm saying is starting a blog is how many young girls imagine their start to instant fame. Although that's not exactly reality... you, as a beginning blogger do need some guidance as to how to be successful.

I begun this blogging adventure as a young and naive little girl. A 13 year old to be exact. Not going to lie, I started out hoping that I would get rich quick or at least get famous quick. I just wanted to be that 13 year old that every other 13 year old wanted to be. Seeing as how I'm 15 and still not "famous"... You as a young teen will most likely follow in my steps and struggle with the amount of time you put into your work, and the almost always frustrating results. 

Because I was 13, I had no strategy or game plan prepared for the next two years. The first year Classy Cathleen was live on the internet was quite a struggle. I didn't know what to do. I would publish two little posts a day and they were just dumb posts that required no thought or effort. A five year old could have written them... Except I was being mistaken for a college student which I let get to my head. I was too scared to have any social media accounts other than instagram for fear I would be found out by someone at school - especially, heaven help, a boy! Lucky for me.. that never happened. It took me until like a year in before I created my facebook page and twitter account. Anyways, when I first started out I had no guidance and was basically a lost cause. Here is my guidance and advice to those young teen bloggers who are trying to make it big quick:

make friends // 

One of my biggest mistakes was thinking I could make it on my own. Boy, was I wrong! Nearly a year had passed before I really started keeping up with other bloggers on a more personal level. Sure I had followed others on instagram, I read other blogs, but I never made an effort to reach out via email or direct message to collaborate on a post. I was so excited in December when I got asked to join an online community magazine type of site... I met so many people from that, teen bloggers and 20 some bloggers and many were surprised to know I was just a freshman. Sadly, some blogger drama happened (try to avoid if at possible - girls are mean in person and online just if you were wondering) Anyways, I still have a wonderful group message with all different lovely ladies. Even though some of them don't blog now, they all have wonderful stories and perspectives and are just genuinely fun people to chat with. I still talk to these girls, but there are so many other bloggers I have been blessed to meet through blogging. I love the I-help-you-you-help-me relationship that bloggers have with eachother. I've hosted twitter chat on twitter chat with some help from my friends as well as other bloggers that I keep up with on all social media platforms and are always there when you have a question. 

Having relationships with other bloggers is the only way to survive in the blogging world. They help with social media interactions, finding followers, ect ect. I wouldn't have gotten out of the little slump I was in as a young teen blogger without some help from these gals. I strongly suggest that you, if you don't already, start connecting with other bloggers in your niche. You can find these bloggers through social media. I find hosting linkups and other types of collaborations is the best way to propose a friendship with others which is essential to teen blogger survival. 

post only when you have something good to post //

Now, I can't say that I've always followed this... Especially not when I was just starting out, but it's the only way to improve in your skill as a blogger. If you keep posting the same blah posts, than you won't get any new readers or followers. People will already know your content and you won't have any exciting or attention grabbing posts. The best way to make sure you always have good ideas is to always be making lists. Always have a piece of paper with you so you can write down your ideas. Stay on websites filled with inspiration, such as Tumblr and Pinterest. Read tons of other bloggers' work and always try to challenge yourself. 

The good thing about having a personal blog is being able to post whatever whenever. Say you're feeling really inspired one day, but not another day... that's totally okay for personal bloggers to do! I'd much rather read a post full of helpful tips, tricks, advice, style, a personal story, anything than a type of post that's been done many times before. I feel like you should be able to have at least 200 words in a blog post... Unless it's like a fashion post with lots of photos. 

Be sure you're always keeping up on social media such as Pinterest and Tumblr to stay inspired. 

interact with readers // 

Your readers should feel like they're your best friend. You should always treat them with respect, ask them for their opinions and advice, and try to reply to comments. If your readers are other bloggers, share some of their posts on your social media accounts to spread the love. If they don't blog, be sure you're tweeting at them, liking their instagram photos ect. Get a basic understanding of at least some of your readers and that will help you know your audience's preferences better as well. 

invest in yourself // 

Even if you know that blogging won't be your "forever thing" it's always good to invest in yourself, your interests, hobbies, ect. As a teenager this means talking with your parents, shopping at discount stores to get cute items to instagram, shop sales - always, and purchase a domain name. By investing in your blog and your interests, you will be able to prove to others that you're serious about your blog. Domain names are perfect for first impressions. When people see a professional domain name they instantly think you're older than you are. I purchased my domain name from Google and it was fairly cheap. It doesn't take a lot to be professional. Of course, you don't have to spend any money to be a good blogger, but of course, purchasing a domain name is the smallest but still a very significant and beneficial way to be more professional as a teen blogger.

be on all platforms of social media // 

I can't stress the importance of this enough. If you're not on social media you have no future as a blogger. There are so many people that use more than one type of social media... but everyone has their favorite. As a blogger just starting out, you have to be dang good at social media. Especially Instagram and Twitter. Pinterest is very helpful too, but I would prioritize and be the best at Twitter and Instagram first. Be sure to link your blog in all your bios and write an attention grabbing bio that would make other people really want to check out your blog and find out more about you. 

Read up on how you can become a better instagrammer/tweeter/pinner and the best times to post and the inner algorithms of the social media sites. The more you know the better you can be!

honest & transparent // 

So many people lie on the internet that when readers come across a blogger that is open and honest and willing to share all kinds of details they just want to read more and more. Staying honest with your readers is definitely important. If you can get this right from the beginning of your teen blogging years... You're set for life! Not only is this an attractive quality in a blogger.. but it's also a good quality that all humans should possess. I'm not saying take photos when you're in the shower or on the toilet and blog about that... but feel free to share personal stories with your readers as well as funny experiences... This also goes for your social media accounts! Snapchat is the best way to share your daily life with your followers, but readers will really enjoy the personal element on your blog. 

What I did in 2015 to grow my blog

2015 really was a successful year for me. As far as blogging goes, it was incredible. Much better than my first year, but hopefully not as successful as 2016 will be! In the last year I found an increase in followers, page views, social media followers, and engaged readers. I'm sure this was all a result of my different strategies implemented last year. This is what I did. What really worked and helped me as well as my blog:

I told people at school - once I started to become proud of my blog, I was of course, more open to talking about it. I wanted people to know, and I wanted them to tell people about it as well. Once I started to get the word out around school, my readers, Instagram followers, and Twitter followers grew! My teachers also somehow got word of my blogging side, and would stop me in the hall to tell me about a small grammatical error or a picture they liked... Ect.

I really got into scheduling tweets - it shouldn't surprise anyone that the way I got more views in 2015 on my blog posts, was by utilizing social media. I didn't really realize before about July 2015 just how much of a help Twitter could be. I scheduled tweets through Hootsuite and Tweetdeck, and would share new posts & old posts all throughout the day at random times

I posted on Instagram daily - I'm not really sure how this helped my blog grow... If I had to guess I would say it was probably me always promoting my posts, sharing photos from a post, or just posting something semi artsy that a follower would want to check out this blog that I was always talking about. Whatever it was... It worked!

Constantly commenting - I did this a lot last Summer. Every morning before really starting my day, I would go through my bloglovin' feed as well as the select blogs I had posts delivered to my inbox for. As I read each post, I would try my best to leave a meaningful comment along with a link back to my own blog. Even if no one clicked on it, I was still getting my name out there! The same goes for Instagram.. I would comment on at least 5 posts each time I checked Instagram. Even the simplest of cat heart eye emojis and direct people back to your account. Also on Twitter, I replied to every #replytweet, question, ect. 

Hosting linkups - I co-hosted a crap ton of successful linkups with some amazing gals (all y'all know who you are ;)) it's always fun when you get to interact with other bloggers around the Internet to collaborate under one topic! The best part of linkups is sharing other people's posts... Sometimes they'll shout your post out in return which is always nice too! 

Participating in linkups - Not only did I co-host a lot of linkups, I participated in a bunch too. They are amazing opportunities to connect, build relationships, gain inspiration, as well as share some creative posts of your own! 

I told random people about my blog - It's really fun to be 15 and be able to have a formal, business like introduction when meeting adults and strangers. I love it! When I met people while I was helping at the flood relief center and we had some downtime for lunch... I found myself talking about it. While visiting craft fairs and Christmas bazaars I gained new Instagram followers. My mom's friends follow me on Instagram and Twitter. Casual things like that... You just can't be scared to throw it out there! It's actually really cool that you're a blogger, so be proud of that and tell people! 

Hosting Twitter chats - Twitter chats were somewhat scary to me at first. I felt intimidated. Honestly, it was probably because of my age and lack of experience compared to other bloggers (the comparison trap sucks to fall into). My first one was honestly probably the wrong type of chat for me... It was more for the entrepreneurial type, which is something I am not - in my defense, it was advertised completely wrong! The next one I tried was fun, but I couldn't exactly answer all the questions. I felt my answers were "unpopular" (I'm a very honest person) so I decided to keep looking for another more fitting chat. When I couldn't find one, I immediately brainstormed ideas and did a bit of research. Shortly after, Jamie and Nicole and I teamed up to host #bloggerblab (which was insanely successful) and there's also #galpalchat which is a heck-a-lot of fun too! 

Completely being myself - there is no one else out there on the internet that is 100% like me. I can promise you that. I can also promise that there is no one else with the same voice, intentions, ideas, ect. As me. Which keeps my content interesting - at least that's what I've been told. I set myself apart from the basic blog in my "niche" (wow I hate that word) and it worked to my benefit.

I hope this helped you, fellow bloggers, in your strategy planning for 2016. Please share with me your tried and true strategies and what has helped you achieve success! 

The Comparison Trap

I've asked a few friends why they quit blogging. Their answers fall somewhere in the lines of: "I wasn't good enough." "I'll never have as good pictures as her" "I'm just not a good writer... She writes so much better than I do" "I just don't have as much time as she does" "I was a hot mess... Everyone else was so put together and mine stood out from the rest". I'm writing this post as one who was caught in a comparison trap as a 13 year old, but I got out and have moved on to accomplish many things that I'm almost positive I wouldn't have been able to do if I was stuck in a giant "not good enough" pit.

Honestly, I've never struggled with low self esteem. I know I am "fearfully and wonderfully made" and I have no need to doubt the reasons God put me on this planet. When I was first starting my blog, I knew I lacked the experience it took to be as successful or professional as the other bloggers out there. As quickly as I had left the gate and embarked on this new adventure, I slowed to a near stop. I had nothing to post. Any outfit I attempted to shoot would prove that I was not as pretty as the other girls. I couldn't write about high school or anything remotely helpful to other girls because well, I was in middle school. I really hadn't lived enough life to write. I constantly reminded myself that any post I did wouldn't really be read with interest and would be laughed at due to my lack of talent. 

This went on for a few months... I started January 2014, and I want to say it was close to my 14th birthday that July, that my slump came to a slow end. I would be starting high school soon and felt like I finally would have some sort of experience to write on. My dad let me use his DSLR which made me feel better about the pictures. My style was reflecting everything I had read for the past year and a half and was finally showing my slightly more mature style. I was finally escaping what I now have come to call The Comparison Trap.

Comparison is detrimental to a blogger. You're right. You might not have something that Carly Heitlinger has in her apartment, but that doesn't mean that you can't have an apartment as beautiful as her's. Don't let not owning anything from J.Crew or Lilly Pulitzer stop you from having a gorgeous preppy fashion blog. When you compare yourself to others, you eventually run yourself off a cliff. No content because you're afraid that anything you post will be viewed as a cheap copy for one of the greats, any idea you have is simply mediocre compared to others, and you just look awkward in photos so there's no way in heck you're going to share your adorable new shirt and how you styled it. Confidence, y'all! It's key! 

It's insanely easy to slip into this trap. One day you're fine, and the next you're worried that your page views are never going to amount to that of Gal Meets Glam. If you waste time comparing, your content will never be on the same level as another, and your page views will stay at a steady zero. How I got out of my 6 1/2 month slump? I realized that the more time I spend standing at the entrance gate to a wonderful adventure, the less time I actually have to take on this adventure for myself. Once I came upon this realization, I would find myself laughing about silly little comparisons such as: "wait that's her natural hair?  Dang.. Wish mine was that dark" or other stupid things like that. 

Looking at other people and feeling bad about yourself isn't worth the time, effort, or energy. It's too easy to slip into this pit of comparison, and takes way too long to get out. The time you're using to compare your success to another's, can be used instead to be successful on your own. So friends, you're perfect, okay? Others (including myself) aren't worth comparing yourself to. Look at yourself and use your own judgement on your blog. It is YOUR blog after all. Make this one of your goals for the new year. Strive not to compare yourself, and you're in for one successful (and less painful) year. 

What It's Like to be a 15 Year Old Blogger

I've been wanting to write a post like this for a while now. This post is for friends, teachers, other bloggers, and for myself. When I talk about blogging I usually wave it off as not a lot of work or effort or anything. But really, blogging is probably the most work-heavy project I've ever invested myself in. I never really think about just how much time I put into this site, or my social accounts so I'm breaking this down for me as well, so I can see just how important blogging is in my life. 

There's no other place to start than the beginning.. 

I started blogging January of 2014. I was in the eighth grade and all of 13 years old. Some people call 13 still a "tween" others who read my blog at the time (there were not many but definitely some) believed me to be a college student which was most flattering. At the time I was VERY secretive. No one at school knew about this at the time little endeavor. Months into it, my friend, Kate found out.. But still no one else really did. 

Why was I so secretive about it, you ask? I don't really know. Maybe I was scared. Maybe I was worried about how others would accept or not accept this. Mainly I think it was because I didn't think it would last. My Instagram barely had 200 followers, my Pinterest barely had 50, a Twitter wasn't even a possibility in my mind. I thought I wasn't good enough. I couldn't make it. Who would listen to the ramblings of a little 13 year old. I'm convinced that those beliefs and thought process is part of why it took me as long as it did to get my blog and I "out there". 

It doesn't happen over night. I can promise you that. Establishing yourself in the online world is tough as heck. You have to have the drive to press on and work as hard as you can. I was still off to a rocky start by July 2014 when I turned 14. Sure I had been blogging consistently for 6 months but the readers and followers I had dreamed of were nonexistent. There were some, and some of them are still following and keeping up with me on the reg today. And for you all I am forever grateful that whatever kept you following me, didn't go anywhere and that you're still coming along for the ride now. 

When I started my freshman year August of 2014, my eyes opened. There were no other kids in my grade that had even attempted to do what I was doing. Sure there were One Direction fan accounts on Instagram and one senior who had somewhat of a fashion blog.. But no one my age was as committed to anything like this as I was. I wanted my blog to be the best that I and it could be. Then I buckled my seatbelt and took off like Lightning McQueen trying to win that piston cup (I still here Tow-Mater's voice in my head saying "you did what in a cup?!" Anyone catch my reference there?) 

Then came January 5th. My blog-a-versary. Basically just the celebration that exactly one year had passed since I created this blog. I was proud of myself for not quitting. For not giving up. I had made it to the one year point and I couldn't have been any happier. By now, probably 3 or 4 close friends had knowledge of what I actually did when I went home. I was so ready to blaze through another year.. My social media accounts were growing, my page views were growing, and i actually saw potential in myself and in my blog. I started to think, "dude, I could actually do this" and so I continued to press on and work as hard as 14 year old Cathleen could. 

As April and May rolled around, and my Instagram was doing pretty well as well as my Twitter (which I created a few months prior because I was convinced you had to have a Twitter to be successful) and Pinterest, I realized a lot of my friends were still left in the dark about my passions. I decided to go for it. What's the worst that can happen, I thought. Maybe I'll just have to find some more friends... Which turns out I didn't need to do at all. They were all super insanely supportive of me and my passions and shoutout to Brianna and Jordan who are still following me on Instagram and I'm almost positive that they like every photo I post. What was I scared of? 

At this point, and a while before that too, I had my blogging friends. I had a group of friends before them.. But let's just say I'm way better off with my girls now. You need friends like the ones I have. Girls that are in all different stages of life and blogging. People that are smarter than you, and come from all different backgrounds, and live in all sorts of places. People like Ashlee, Michaela, Sarah, Julia, and Caitlin. Blogging friends quickly become your blogging family. You love them and respect them and constantly are asking them for advice. 

One important thing to remember about blogging is that it's not about being in a clique. It's not about having your own personal girl gang from around the country. It's about building relationships that will not only help you and your blog but help you learn in life as well. In our group, I'm definitely the youngest. I learn so much from these girls it's insane. I learn never sleep with a guy in a foreign country (Thanks Michaela) as well as how far amazing pictures, a quality Instagram and investment can really take your blog from Sarah. These are connections and relationships that I wouldn't change for the world. 

These friends inspired me and filled me with motivation to keep pressing on. I'm convinced that I wouldn't have made it as far as I am now without them. 

When Summer 2015 came about, I knew exactly how I was going to spend my summer. Blogging to the max. Continuing to push myself farther and farther until all I could think and breathe about was my blog. Classycathleen.blogspot.com became www.classycathleen.com and my site design took a dramatic change for the better. I pushed myself to be the best I could be. To have a website that I would be proud to tell my teachers and friends about all sophomore year. 

I wouldn't have come even close to where my blog is now without amazing friends like Nicole and Jamie. These girls have challenged me and pushed me to be a better me past the point I couldn't believe was possible. I'm a better blogger and person because of these incredible girls and to them I am forever grateful. Together we have put together the #bloggerblab Twitter chat and together we have hosted and supported #BloggersBTS the MONTH long back to school linkup. I've "met" Nicole's sister and Jamie's brother, and they've met my mom and my older brother, Isaac who has pretty severe autism. I've ranted to the point there were tears, and we've laughed about countless things together and supported each other the whole way. To say I'm blessed is an understatement. We have been able to accomplish so much with each others help and we have bigger and better ideas to come in the future I promise. 

There's my snail mail gals. Faith and Sydney, Dani and Kayla, Sofia and Sarah Beth... They all encourage me to be a better me or to look at life in a different way. And just the classic handwriting correspondence is so much fun! 

There's Rachel who has taught me that I actually do have potential. The fact that she values my opinion and that we have something huge in the works is just so exciting and rewarding and yet another thing that I love about blogging. And Olivia who will forever motivate me to be my best self.. She's quite the inspiration. These relationships are worth more to me than the world. 

So I've been over the beginning, and everyone important to me that I've met through blogging, and now what it's really like to be 15 and running my own blog.

What started as a hobby, a pastime, a fun creative outlet has turned into a business. A business all about me and my life and my opinions.. Which I love. Most 15 year olds don't have the social media outlets with the followers that I do or even a blog that people even give a tiny look at. In those ways I am blessed. Blessed to have the readership, followers, and friends that I do. 

It can be tough though.. Don't get me wrong. Blogging is one of my very favorite things to do, but it is challenging at times and can take a lot of time. Pouring out all my energy into writing a blog post, or sharing on social media, hosting a Twitter chat, planning the next week's posts.. Just keeping up with fresh and new content can be a struggle. But because I love blogging, even the struggles are exciting and fun.

Being a 15 year old blogger, I can't be as financially invested as others. I can't shop every sale I blog or tweet about, I can't participate in all those loop giveaways, I can't do quite all those brand sponsorships that others can. I just don't have the money because well.. I'm 15. But even though I'm not financially invested, almost every ounce of who I am goes into my blog and social accounts. Well, every ounce and then a few get set aside for things like I don't know... My GPA and schoolwork. But every ounce other than those goes straight into you guys, my reader friends, and follower friends, and taking photos and coming up with fresh content. 

Even though I only really get around to blogging once or twice a week nowadays, I'm still always thinking and making lists and taking pictures for future blog posts. All my thoughts are basically dedicated to blogging and creativity. Sure I'm thinking about pizza and football like other 15 year olds, but moment of truth: I'm way more interested in what all my Instagram buddies are up to and what they're blogging about. 

I have countless scraps of paper in my bookbag and literally 80% of them have a post idea or something that inspired me on it. Maybe an account to follow or something to mention in my next FriYAY links. The lists are everywhere. Every notebook, every homework assignment, my agenda... Everywhere. I'm always thinking of ideas even at lunch and in the shower to make my blog the best it can be.

I'm totally open to talking about my blog with anyone. Is it awkward? Yes. Explaining something that I'm completely devoted to and interested in to someone who doesn't know the difference between blogger and Wordpress and j.crew and old navy is insane. But it's so much fun at the same time! It's my true passion so to anyone at school reading this: ASK ME. WE'LL TALK. 

Now that I'm coming to the end of this post.. I don't even know why I wrote it. Maybe because I haven't done a post about blogging in a while? I'm not sure.. But what I do know is that I'm gonna grow up. I'm going to change and grow and mature and develop and move on with my life. But blogging will never leave. I don't know what the future has in store for me, but I do know that I'll be blogging every step of the way. 

I'm thankful for the experience I have received from blogging. I'm thankful in advance for all the other doors in the future that will open because of this little blog. I'm thankful for my Instagram followers, I'm thankful for my Pinterest followers, and I'm thankful for all my readers. You all are the ones that have truly made and will continue to make this experience the best it can be. 

So again, what is it like to be a 15 year old blogger? Nonstop seeking new information, living life to the fullest, and snapping pictures each and every step of the way. Not being scared to be honest, wearing whatever I throw on, watching Hallmark movies at 3 AM and crying because of how perfect the unrealistic situation is, and eating/instagramming way too many s'mores. Staying up at all ungodly hours just to finish the next day's blog post, making your siblings wait before they can eat their frozen yogurt because taking a picture is top priority, running to and from the tripod just for a couple outfit posts, and making ice cream and cookies so you can post them on Instagram. Going to school but never really having your mind on your school work, having to ask your teacher for your test back because you wrote in the margins a couple ideas for a post, skipping out on a whole year's worth of football games to establish yourself as a blogger, and always being in search of a white background and good lighting. That's really what it's like. 

Bloggers Helping Bloggers

Meg of The Audacious Queen emailed me a while back with some details on something super fun, Bloggers Helping Bloggers (the name is even super fun, right?). So the internet is filled with negative thoughts, opinions, and bunches of haters. What the internet is truly lacking in is kind people willing to take the extra minute it takes to thoroughly examine someone's blog, and well, give all compliments about things they ABSOLUTELY love about their site. This was something Meg noticed, and wanted to see if we could focus on some positives.. and I think it's a wonderful idea! Here's some blogs that were originally participating in this little linkup, and my thoughts on them :)

The Audacious Queen

Meg is such a positive person, and I just love how that shines through in her writing and social media. You can just tell from reading how sweet and kind she must be, and you like automatically want to meet her in person. I've been reading her blog for almost as long as she's been blogging. I didn't really get a chance to connect with her until we were both partnered together as part of a blogger snail mail kind of thing through Instagram. She is just so so sweet, and beautiful too! I love her classic but still fun style. Her Instagram is BEAUTIFUL, I'm obsessed with her posts and she is definitely one of my biggest inspirations when it comes to my own account.

The Beautiful Little Fools

First off I absolutely, immediately, RIGHT OFF THE BAT caught the reference to Gatsby in her blog title. AND I LOVE IT! I love how Jenni is always writing about blogging or school related things. I'm a rising sophomore this year, and I know college shouldn't be too much of a focus yet.. but of course it is. I love reading Jenni's advice to others. She has a great voice in her writing that I just thoroughly enjoy reading. She also always has new and fun guest posts live on her blog. SO much fun to read!

The Fashion Newcomer

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Jamie's blog. She's just so smart! She's a real fashion blogger. Not one that shares her outfits. One that really blogs about fashion and I love it. She always has the most incredible ideas, and it just blows my mind honestly. Jamie's one of those bloggers that I would LOVE to meet at some point. I love her voice when she writes. She has such strong feelings about blogging and what it should be versus what it is typically viewed as and I love that. She's been one of my favorites for quite a while now. When I see The Fashion Newcomer in my inbox I stop everything to read her latest post. My favorite posts of her's are when she writes about the fashion industry and does big blogger collaborations.

Alkaline + Chrome

I'm somewhat of a new reader to Emma's blog.. but I love it! I'm just gonna start off by talking about her photos. They are absolutely INCREDIBLE! I love it when she goes to different events, because she is sure to share photos of everything. Her style is so unique, I absolutely love it. Her "Daily Babble" posts are definitely some of my favorites because similar to The Fashion Newcomer, many people don't share their thoughts on the fashion industry as they do about Lilly Pulitzer, Nordstrom sales, and their personal outfits. I enjoy reading Emma's blog for that reason.. I get to learn more about fashion!

Angelica Prendez

I've never read a blog with an author so passionate about her dancing as Angelica. You can tell from her face in her posts on dancing that she really loves what she does. When I first visited her blog, I thought it had been around for a year maybe more. When I scrolled along, I realized that her first post was only back in March! You can't tell that from the way she writes or her blog design or anything! So professional and easy to read. Her style is very different than mine which is probably another reason I enjoy reading so much. 

Empire Styles

Ever since I helped Nicole relaunch her blog, Empire Styles has been a weekly read for me. Nicole is just such a sweet person and that really shines through to me as I'm reading. I enjoy her content very much. Her unique style is fun and I enjoy following her across all social media. Even Polyvore! Her sets created on Polyvore are BEAUTIFUL and just her style is so mature and classic.. I love it. She's another one of those bloggers that I will definitely have to meet someday. I love it when a blogger's kind heart shines through on their social accounts and writing.. and you can tell from just reading a few posts that Nicole is a great person!

Running Alyssa

I don't read too many super specific niche blogs.. but I really like how Alyssa has a love for running, and that definitely comes across to her readers. I love how passionate she is. We're close if not the same age, so it's neat for me to hear and see her perspective, what she's interested in, and her style. She also shares some great tips for any track or just anyone who runs. Her running recaps are fun to read, and as are the rest of her more personal posts.

DEFINITELY go check out all the bloggers linked above. Thanks so much to Meg for hosting this, it was a lot of fun to go looking for all the things I love about each of these wonderful blogs! 

Hey Bloggers Be Yourself

Heads up this post is gonna be all over the place just like me -- my true self -- my real self -- y'know what, just keep reading...

This is me. A s'mores eating, sweat pant and water proof birks wearing, relaxing by the fire in a rainbow striped hammock 

I was scrolling through Twitter lately.. 

Might be weird to say this as a blogger, but sometimes I really hate blogging. Not the act of it, but the community & stigma around it ...

— Jamie (@fashionnewcomer) July 6, 2015

... People are 2 different people on their blogs & in real life. Why is everyone trying to fit into one "type"? Be yourself ...

— Jamie (@fashionnewcomer) July 6, 2015

... and your blog will be better as a result.

— Jamie (@fashionnewcomer) July 6, 2015

Jamie is one of my favorite bloggers. No doubt. She's incredibly good with words, and I thoroughly enjoy following her blog and her Twitter. She posted the above tweets on Monday.

So many bloggers focus on putting on this fake persona and they turn into this person with two personalities. The seemingly perfect one that has no struggles, no worries, no concerns, and is living and loving life. I don't know if they know this, but readers (I know because I am one) can pick up when things aren't 100% real. Honestly it leads to a more tense blog? If that makes any sense.. Like they have to hold themselves back from letting their true personalities, beliefs, and loves shine through.

When I tell people I'm a blogger, I get weird looks. The bloggers that make the news and get the huge page views in my opinion are slightly insane. When you try so hard for so long to keep up with your blogging self, and hide away your true self.. Yeah, you gotta be at least a little crazy.

Social media does not help this at all.. All the different platforms just give way for more fakeness to shine through. Of course there are those bloggers that I love that are so honest with their readers. They're not scared to put their true selves out there, and I love it.. And Jamie's so right! It for sure makes your blog better when you're honest and true.

Instagram can be a huge stress maker if you're doing it wrong. Instagram is about life. Creativity. Fun. Sometimes we bloggers get so wrapped up in perfection we miss out on life, really being creative, and really having fun. Instagram is part of why bloggers compare themselves to other bloggers ALL THE TIME. Honestly, I've noticed that when my pictures reflect me, THE WHOLE ME (like the picture at the top of this post) a. I get more likes and b. it's super refreshing just to share your real life. I think as a reader, we want to connect with bloggers. We don't want this one way window where we can see into your "perfect" life while we're on the outside really living life. Going through the motions, the struggles, and the hardships. We as readers don't want a window. We want more of a glass door. Where the blogger is open, inviting, and willing to share the ugly truths, the beautiful truths and well just all the truths with their readers. The blogger has to be willing to invite us in. It can be scary, trust me I write a blog so I get it, but you gotta do it. So refreshing to just be yourself.

So why should we have two lives? Our blogging self living the blogging life in the blogging world and our real selves doing and going through the same things as everyone else. Can I just say, my blog is me. That's what I tell my friends, family, readers and followers. If you like me and how I come across online and through social media.. Then we'll be the best of buds in real life too. There is no dual personality Cathleen.

ALSO, this shouldn't be a goal for anyone... I've seen on a couple Blogging Goal Lists that the blogger needs to be more real and be themselves with their readers. I mean obviously it should be a thought in your head and if you feel yourself slipping towards more popular culture, this is what everyone is writing, blah blah blah.... Stop yourself! But I wouldn't put this on a goal list... Should it be a goal to be yourself? Who are you if you're not yourself?

TO CONNECT THE DOTS HERE: Don't blend in.. Don't be like other bloggers. You are You and that's what makes you special, and as blogging goes, that's where readers come from. You want your blog to be refreshing for readers. Something that's different and doesn't blend in with everyone else's. You can't be scared to share your life with readers. Make sure you have that glass door installed so your blog is open and inviting for everyone who stops by your site.

I'd love to hear your thoughts below, both from readers and fellow bloggers...

*I'm totally not pointing fingers at  ANYONE with this post, so please don't take offense. That was not the goal of writing this post AT ALL!

To My Non-Blogging Friends:

I've been blessed with some REALLY  great friends.. both through blogging and in real life. However.. there are certain things that are harder for my non blogging friends to understand. Like a lot of things actually. Scarlett, the genius that she is, came up with an AMAZING idea for a post.. Sadly I was a couple days late for my quote to get in the post, but I still definitely want to share this on my blog! So hey all my friends that don't blog... Listen up!

What I wish my non-blogging friends knew about blogging in general

-BLOGGING IS HARD: I can't just throw up a post. I can't just get pictures from Pinterest, and copy- paste them into a blank post, write a few words, and post. THAT'S NOT HOW BLOGGING WORKS.

-If I feature you on the blog: If you get mentioned or quoted in a post... It's a big deal. 

-GRAMMAR: I hate bad grammar, bad punctuation, and spelling issues!! When you're blessed with spell check and the power of the internet when constructing your sentences.. why do they suck? It matters, okay? Sentence structure and spelling MATTERS.

-Time: I put so much time into this little site I can't even begin to explain to you. I write, I take photos, I stay social, EVERYTHING! Blogging is my business basically. It's my brand, and it just so happens that I am the face of it. If I have to pass on a football game or soccer game or hanging out after school, trust me, I don't want to miss out on the fun. I just have to get a post up and ready for the next day and take care of my social accounts. 

-HTML: Not just for nerds. I freaking love HTML. Just thought you should know! 

What I wish my non-blogging friends knew about social media

-Maintaining an on-point Pinterest is tough: When friends see my Pinterest and realize I have over 3000 followers they automatically think I'm famous. I'm not. I just put HOURS into keeping my Pinterest as perfect as possible. I get so many comments on how beautiful my Pinterest is, and I'm slightly obsessed with keeping it on point. 

-Instagram: LET ME JUST SAY, If you bring a really cute container filled with fruit or something, you better wait for me to get good lighting and a good shot before you can eat it. If we're getting ice cream, let me take a picture of yours too. Don't ask questions. AND YES I ALWAYS HAVE TO EDIT MY PHOTOS. 

-Tweeting links: As my friends, you are basically obligated to click on any link I tweet out. It's like an unofficial unwritten rule. And don't judge me for saying #obsessed way too many times. It's a problem I know.

-Retweets: If I'm #obsessing over a particular brand one day on Twitter, and they RETWEET me.... BE HAPPY FOR ME!! IT'S THE ABSOLUTE GREATEST WHEN SOLE SOCIETY OR NORDSTROM RETWEETS YOU. 

-Keeping up a Facebook page: If you're not a blogger, the concept of why you need a Facebook page might me a little tough for you to understand. Even though I suck at keeping up with it, I still have to have it so don't judge too hard if I'm checking FB in class.

-Hashtags are insanely important- Even #obsessed or #inlove are still super important! And all those annoying tags for likes ACTUALLY HELP!

-Follower Numbers: I WORK MY BUTT OFF to get the number of followers on social media that I do. I don't just post a picture of ice cream and get 500 followers and 10000 likes. I WORK for my followers.

-Yes it is totally necessary for me to post 15 pictures in one day. Don't get all whatever with me about that! 

What I wish my non-blogging friends knew about life in general

-Grocery Shopping: I totally have to take photos of the pineapples, lemons, and limes in the grocery store. So don't comment on my pictures about it! Also, some of my flower pictures do come from the outdoors part of Walmart or the bouquets and BiLo.

-Trader Joe's is not just a grocery store, it's a lifestyle: YES I DO have to post a photo of everything in Trader Joe's. And I have to buy a plant EVERY SINGLE TIME I GO

-I'm a plant momma: I love plants, and I love having my little babies in my window. I water them, feed them, and sing to them (you know the carbon dioxide stuff). And of course succulents are one of my biggest obsessions. 

When we're shopping, I will take pictures of everything. Just letting you know. Oh, and if we get lunch? Please at least wear a classic gold watch. And we need to order croissants if they have them. And get dessert. 

-My blogging "friends" as you call them, are some of the most incredible people in this world. You wouldn't get it. And no watching a movie with you, is not the same AT ALL as watching a movie with Michaela.

-When I wear sweats or dress lazy... DO NOT TELL ME THAT'S NOT SOMETHING CLASSY CATHLEEN WOULD DO. It actually is totally something I would do because I was most likely up late blogging and not willing to put in the effort of getting completely dressed up this morning. 

Also, just wanted to let you guys know that I really, truly do appreciate all that y'all do for me. You really try your best to understand how important a new blog design is and taking a perfect photoshoot.. And I really love you for trying to understand!

So bloggers, what do you wish your non-blogging friends knew and understood about blogging?

Love Letter To Blogging

I've been blogging on this little website for about a year and a half now. I've fallen in love with blogging, and it's just what I do. I love the social part of it, I love writing, I love the photography.. I love everything about blogging! I started this site when I was in the 8th grade. That's right, Junior High, Middle School, 13 years old. There was me. I fell in love with writing down post ideas in my Lilly Pulitzer "let's cha cha" agenda during class, and spending late nights listening to Taylor Swift and Nikki Minaj (Typically 8th grader stuff y'know) and writing. I was totally committed to my blog then.. but I didn't know how long it would last. I had a tendency to not finish things all the way or to keep up with something on a regular basis. I proved to myself through blogging, that I could keep up with something. 

Then there I was, blogging all the way through Summer before I started High School. I was literally writing one to two posts a day and like ten a week... Those were the good days. Well, I did basically nothing last Summer, so y'know time wasn't really an issue for me. I poured HOURS into my blog last Summer. Just content you know. Nothing too meaningful or important, I just became obsessed with always having NEW and FRESH content on my blog. So a couple months and five blog designs later.. My first year in high school rolled around.

Throughout my freshman year, I had to put blogging in the back seat. It was still a major focus, love, and passion of mine.. but my grades couldn't afford for me to become obsessed with it and spend all my time there. I'm not saying I didn't write, because I did. And I did a lot. My first Blog-a-versary came around in January and it was INCREDIBLE. I felt so accomplished. So there I was, blogging the days away.. writing down post ideas in my Kate Spade "bella bookshelf" agenda and spending late nights jamming to Spotify playlists, and writing blog posts. I only really started telling people about "my other life" in my second semester, and I really wish I hadn't waited. It's so much fun to see friends from school favoriting tweets or commenting on blog posts or liking my Instagram photos. I managed to keep my grades up throughout the year, and now here I am in Summer waiting on sophomore year to roll on in. 

That's my story. Well, that's my blogging story. 

Blogging has given me a creative outlet throughout the past year or so. It's given me a place on the internet that is ALL MINE. I can write what I want and share what I want. My passions and loves and interests actually matter here because my blog is me. I love meeting wonderful people through all this too. There's so many great personalities and wonderful friends... Without blogging I never would have met those people. Blogging is something that will always be there for me. I don't know what's to come for me in the future, but I do know one thing. I will be blogging the whole way. I've fallen in love with writing and photography and social media and making connections with people. Blogging is just everything that I love and everything I'm interested in. And if my interests change.. My blog will too, and that's alright because my blog is me. 

I love the insanely long list making, the struggle to capture the perfect Instagram photo, balancing my love of blogging with school, and everything else that has to do with blogging. I even love seeing my friends try to understand me and all my weird Cathleen quirks that are only brought out by blogging.

From blogging I've learned so much about myself and the world and other people. I've learned that you don't always "vibe" with everyone.. and some "vibes" might not turn out to be everything they seemed to be.. but just keep being you and you'll find the good and real vibes. I've learned and discovered so many hidden interests and talents in myself through blogging. I've really come out of my shell so to speak through all this. I don't hold back with y'all. I let myself pour out and all over this little website. I'm not scared of other people. I'm slower to judge.. So many valuable lessons learned from blogging.

I've really enjoyed writing this post... Nicole, of Empire Styles is relaunching her fabulous blog today, and is hosting this little "Love letter to blogging" linkup today, and I am so glad I was able to participate. Totally go check out her blog! Nicole's a sweetie, y'all will love her.