One Year of Blogging

I’ve been putting off writing this post for quite some time now because I honestly don’t know what to say other than what has already been said. The past year was full of so many challenges, experiences, achievements, and a few adventures that I’ve mentioned in a previous post. So many amazing things happened last year that I’m genuinely thankful for; it still hits me every time I reflect back on my 2016. I truly believe that at least half of last year’s events wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for my blog.

When I was in grade 11, I started blogging without realizing what it actually was that I was doing. To me back then, I just had an online space where I kept my writings safe and sound. My blog stats showed a number of views then but I really didn’t care because I seriously wasn’t aware of what that meant. I kept it going for four years or so. Until recently, in late 2015, I started following bloggers and that’s when I learnt how big the blogging world actually is. I remember being so fascinated with well-known blogs; the designs, the posts, the photos, the work put into them, and the influence they had on social media. I was in awe for a whole day. It was like I was the one who discovered that there are seven planets other than planet Earth; a whole new world that I had no idea existed before. I was amazed by how it was possible to turn blogging into an actual job. I got so jealous of all the big bloggers who got to write for a living, and not necessarily books. It took two months after that eye opening discovery to decide that I too want to become a blogger, for real this time.

In the first week of 2016, I launched my blog with very low expectations and very high hopes. I still had no idea then about the first rule of a successful blog. I was just a girl who hoped that her writings alone would shoot her up to the stars. Halfway through the year, I realized that blogging is so much more than just sharing your writings. I also realized that Egyptians aren’t aware that blogs exist, and that they rarely read anything longer than a caption. That wasn’t what I signed up for when I started blogging… I hadn’t prepared myself to encounter such obstacles yet. It was all VERY overwhelming! However, because I’m so passionate about writing and I love working on my blog, I just kept pushing myself forward and I somehow got 10K+ total blog views in my first year of blogging.

It’s a new year now, a new beginning, and a fresh start. I’m now a one year old blogger who is ready to encounter obstacles that make me doubt myself. It is still all very overwhelming but I’m a blogger with a plan now. I have a new blog name, a new blog theme, a new about me page, and a new blog category. From now on, this is a personal blog where I share one weekly post reflecting on how my week has been like. My posts will basically be a written version of a weekly vlog. They will be personal because nothing is better than getting a closer look into someone’s life. We all have this nosy instinct in us where we like to see what other people are up to. So let’s see how this turns out to be.

Thank you for one year of support and cheers. Thank you for being interested in my blog. Every time one of you guys goes on my blog, you give me reason to believe in myself and keep this going. My first year of blogging was so incredible and I cannot wait to see what the second year holds for me. I’m so excited but also so afraid that this year wouldn’t beat last year… But let’s get the ball rolling and hope that it rolls much further than last year. The weekly blog posts go live every Friday at 5 pm (GMT+2) so expect one this weekend. Don’t forget to leave me a comment below about what you think of the new changes I made. Thank you, and cheers!