7 Lessons Learned From Starting A Blog Seven Years Ago | It's Our Blogg-Aversary!
1.- Jesus Can Give Restoration To Your Dreams, No Matter Your Past, Age, or Situation
The main lesson I’ve learned and the number one thing I will never forget as I plunged into starting this blog was the MERCY of Jesus to give me my dreams back. He is a God of restoration and in the darkest season of my life, he restored a fire for a purpose-filled life. I had lost all hope for me ever having a creative career and in the midst of my pain and in the thick of the dark, Jesus gave me a vision for ALL that I’m currently doing NOW! I remember it like it was yesterday, I was having a panic attack and needing a safe place to cry; I ran into my closet and waited for the wave of emotion to roll through me in acceptance of my painful past, I knelt before my King I prayed with tears rolling down my eyes.
“Lord, if it’s in your will, let my pain mean something. Let my journey become a pathway for someone else’s healing. Use me to inspire and encourage anyone that has ever hurt like me. Use my pain for a purpose and help me never forget where you rescued me from. Help me to know myself and to trust you and to have faith that you Lord can do the impossible.”
Prayed in my closet seven years ago when I knew I needed something to put my energy into. A little while after this prayer, my blog was born. I am overwhelmed with GRATITUDE and tears just keep coming out of my eyeballs right now because I had no idea what God would do seven years ago!! I was not prepared for the miracles, the way he has used this blog to minister to me and to many others along the way. The incredible doors He’s opened for me when I didn’t even believe in myself.
This verse is the culmination of how I feel at this very moment. We have desires in our heart for a reason but when we don’t seek God first, those desires can become idols to our hearts. I found that surrender was the most beautiful thing to do because it gave God the opportunity to be God and me the freedom to be human. And I’ve been BLOWN away at his power. He is faithful!
“For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your being so that Christ might dwell in your hearts through faith - that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have the strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations, forever and ever. Amen. “
Ephesians 3: 14-21
2.- Small Steps Each Day Towards Your Goal
The second most impactful and almost non-exciting lesson is: small steps each day. It seems like we need to have giant leaps of motion or momentum to make something happen in our lives. However, I quickly learned that it was going to be the tinny, daily habits I developed each and every day that actually had a greater impact on the overall journey to building a blog and a business. This is quite boring but it’s the reason ANYONE can do this. If you commit to yourself to make progress each day and that you will not quit no matter what, you are going to succeed. It really does take a lot of work to do anything worth doing. But I have come to find that it’s more the discouragement of when it doesn’t feel alluring anymore that trips us up. When the dream converts to the reality of work done diligently and consistently most people (including me) feel like giving up. If you think about it. That’s one of the reasons why I think there’s so much giving up in our culture when things get challenging or they start to wear off on the excitement a lot of us want to give up. That’s why I believe, God has miraculously held me on this blogging journey to start a blog but to also maintain consistency even when it feels like it’s not working. Which is 95% of the time! haha!
So small steps it is. I’ve survived ONLY because of the strength I’ve drawn from Jesus when I’ve wanted to give up. And God has helped me know that these small steps are making a difference.
3.- No one is going to believe in your vision unless you do.
Oh boy. I know you’ve probably heard this before but I really believe it’s a lesson I’ve had to not just learn but evolve into. I didn’t believe in myself in any way shape or form. My past was so riddled with complex trauma that I believed I had no worth or value to give to anyone. So when I discovered and truly believed that Jesus was my worth and value I was a different person. I didn’t have to earn my way into anything; my gears shifted in this vision of how I started to see my life, my mission, and the vision that God placed in my heart for how he wanted me to share about my brokenness and life. I started to really believe that God called me and he is a God of faithfulness. So I began to pray that I would believe in this vision for HIS glory and not my own. I’m not perfect in this at all and still, there are times I still feel absolutely not equipped. But then I pray and remind myself of Jesus and I believe HIM. My confidence is in him not in myself. So I find true freedom to believe in my vision because it’s not just mine or for me. It’s for the glory of God. To be of service to others. To have a way of sharing my past in a way that helps YOUR future.
Photo by: Tori Wible Photography
4.- Resting Is As Important As Working
As a recovering perfectionist and recovering workaholic. I can tell you that rest is not something that comes naturally to me. I’ve looked to production my whole life to give me worth. It’s exhausting and the reason why I think we get so sick in our culture. Resting is the answer to so many of our issues and yet many are unable to do so because here’s the deal. At least here’s my deal; I used to feel guilty for resting. It just felt more uncomfortable than to just push me until I really couldn’t go anymore. But here’s what I’ve learned, either we get comfortable being uncomfortable and just allow rest to be a part of our week. Or something is just going to come into our lives that force us to take a rest. Trust me sprinkling rest into your daily routine as well as your weekly routine as WELL AS YOUR YEARLY routine has to be one of the best lessons I’ve learned. It’s saved my heart and my family and relationships. If God took a rest, so should we.
Photo by Tori Wible Photography
5.- Relationships Are More Important Than Anything
This one almost cost me my children’s childhood. I am so blessed that I paid attention to the incredible lesson God was teaching me. I went from being a stay-at-home mom to starting my blog journey. I went from being fully present to my family to feeling called by God to write this blog for his glory and under “his” leadership I went a little too far with the CALL on my life! This is not God’s fault, it’s my own for allowing something good to become skewed. But You don’t learn unless you do right? I felt burdened to work as hard as I possibly could so others would see and hear Jesus through my blog. BUT I started to neglect a lot in my life. I become consumed with Instagram and producing content. I wasn’t doing it intentionally or because I didn’t love my husband or kids I just didn’t understand that God hadn’t called me to neglect the MOST important part of my life.
My relationships: With him, myself, my husband, my kids, my family, and friends. All I could think about was the blog and getting ahead. Until I hit a wall and my life started falling apart in more ways than I want to delve into right now. I pray that my mistakes will give you wisdom. NOTHING is worth more than the beautiful relationships God has blessed us with. If you have a family. Press into them. As much as the goals are important, being truly present with your family and loved ones is even more. Whatever that looks like for you. I began putting a lot of margin around my goals. I decided that my calling with my family was even more important than my blog and started to ask Jesus to help me become the wife, mother, and friend he created me to be. I prayed he would help me to really really really care and show my family how much they mean to me. And I can say that I have really pressed into making the moments I have with them once of intention and importance. Never perfect! But we now create daily, weekly and yearly moments to enjoy our time as a family and I see that as sacred time. I have seen the fruit of me really giving the relationships around me the time and importance they deserve. Relationships are king. If we don’t make time for our family and friends we won't have any!
6.- What You Want From Your Goals + Dreams Is Available NOW
I know this seems impossible. But think about what feeling you’re wanting to feel by accomplishing a goal or a dream. Write down what would you feel or think if you got what your heart desires in ANY area of your life. Then believe this amazing truth. You can access those feeling right now. You don’t have to get hired to be of value. You don’t need a title to be important. You don’t need a million followers to be legit. You don’t need that bag to be whole. You are all those things NOW because Jesus died on a cross for you to “have life and life abundant. “John 10:10
I have succeeded more than I ever thought possible. I have accomplished so many of my dreams. Yet each time I’m left feeling like I need more or the line has suddenly moved. I have to choose to be content daily! And to embrace the journey rather than an end goal because when you attain the goal it does not satisfy. Only Jesus satisfies and aside from Heaven this isn’t our home, so we will never really feel like we fit in or the job is done. I’m a HUGE advocate for a vision board, goal setting, mindset in a positive and grounded vibe. But I also know that you and are enough today without doing one more thing. And if you are trying to prove yourself to others through a career, that leads down a path that is not very healthy. So know you are already everything that you desire. Create FROM that worth and value not for it. Create something that will give others hope! Think of yourself less and others more as you create and you'll see a shift in how you show up.
7.- The Impostor Syndrome And How To Overcome It
I have felt this syndrome at the highest points of my career. Backstage at Oscar De La Renta in New York City. I kept thinking, why why why have they let me in here? Albeit, the glory goes to God for opening doors for me that I could never open for myself. But I also had to grow up and learn that I was there because God purposed it to be so. I might not have felt “qualified” in the natural but in God’s supernatural power, I was the woman for the job. Once I stepped into that truth I was fearless of not belonging there. What I tell my girls and what I have had to learn the very hard way is that if I belong to Jesus and I belong to myself, I can belong anywhere. And no room is going to intimidate me out of the calling God placed in my life. You overcome the impostor syndrome by putting your trust not in yourself but in the POWER God’s love for you. God has a calling for your life. If he has you someplace where you feel out of the league! GOOD. It’s the best way to be dependent on the Lord and ask him to give you the wisdom and the next steps. He will guide you. “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” Psalm 119: 105
BONUS: Nothing is ever perfect. It will never be so don’t get stuck in the perfection vortex. Better done than perfect and better now than never. You will make many mistakes but from those, you’ll learn to navigate this exciting thing called life! It’s not worth living unless we embrace that ; 50% of the time we will be experiencing some NEGATIVE feelings. But baby! 50% of the time you’ll be feeling your FANTASTIC feelings and they will feel so good! To know you are living on PURPOSE doing what scares you because it’s worth the shot! Listen, Jesus will give you momentum and hope to carry you through the hardships and he will continue to give you hope at every stage!
I pray for your blog if you’re considering writing one. Do it! I believe in you!
