3 Things I've Learned from 3 Years of Blogging

Starting a blog when you go abroad is about as basic as it gets. I'm sorry to say it, but it's true. 

For some, it's a required assignment for their program. For others, it's a personal project punctuated by bursts of creativity from time to time. And for the rare breed of blogger, they've turned their online space from a side hustle into a full-time job.

For me? It's simply been my passion since day one- basic or not. 

I started my blog back in 2014, about a month before I started at the University of Edinburgh. At the time, I knew so little, but wanted to write about so much. I mean, so much that any little adventure or anecdote would turn into a full-blown blog post. I was amazed by everything, and I just had to write about it. 

From there, my blog evolved into more of a travel diary outlining my trips from as close as London to as far away as Marrakech, and everywhere in between. When I started in my third year of blogging, I was lucky enough to be considered for opportunities to fulfill my foodie pleasures, reviewing restaurants in and around the city of Edinburgh.

Looking back, my blog has changed a lot. But one thing has remained constant: my dedication to writing. It may sound simple, but the singular act of committing to writing one blog post every week is probably what has made the most impact for me over these three years. 

So in honor of having sat down to write a blog post once every week for the past 156 weeks, I thought I would briefly share 3 things that I've learned from my time blogging. 

You don't have to run your blog like a business    

While I appreciate every bit of business sense I've gained from running this blog, I don't think making my blog my business is for me. And I certainly wouldn't hit pause on my life to pursue blogging full-time. I've always found that the periods in my blogging career where I've really pushed the self-promo and scrutinized the analytics were actually the unhappiest times blogging-wise for me. Honestly, I think that if you write well, and write about interesting topics, the opportunities will come to you. Pursuing them is important, but not at the sake of your own happiness. So for now, I'm keeping this filed under "personal" blog.

People love to see your true self shine through

I think this is also true to real life. If you put up a front and try to be something your not, people will probably respond negatively. The same goes for your blog. If in real life you're really not into eating healthy and exercising, but on your blog you're constantly taking gym selfies in workout clothes, and preaching about health, people will likely see right through you. Even more so, I've found that people (whether you know them in real life or not) respond to blog posts that are personal more than anything. Readers relate to other people's struggles, and equally want to share in your successes. So that's why I'm never afraid to share that kind of stuff on my blog (or in real life). 

Blogging is a lot of hard work 

Imagine writing a public article once per week (or more) but not having anyone tell you that you absolutely have to write it. That's what blogging is like. It takes a lot of self-discipline, a pretty strong time commitment, and plenty of hours sitting in front of a computer. Worse yet, the work never ends because you could always be doing something more (tweeting! promo-ing! writing emails!). But with all this hard work comes a very strong work ethic that I am entirely grateful for. At the end of the day, I've created something that I'm proud of, and all the hard work that goes into it makes this blog possible.