2017 Blog Recap: My Pitfalls and Success!

thought I would take this time to reflect on my blogging career since first starting Dec. 2016. 

Once upon a time I was a beginner just like some of you new bloggers, I was searching for answers, perfection and followers. I owe my blogging to a professor whom gave me the idea and I took off with it – if it wasn’t for his guidance; I would have never found this passion & would have missed out on such amazing opportunities with my writing. 

He gave me the idea, but I had to come up with the answers, come up with the solutions, had to put forth the effort to see any success. In the beginning, I was restless, I was anxious, I was nervous and I was alone on this journey- while I had his continued support, I didn’t have the support of many others until my blog started taking off on its own (even then, the support was minimal). I struggled trying to find my voice within my writing, coming up with topics, making a routine, creating an actual blog and deciding which platforms to use. Google was both my friend and nemesis because while it was helpful; it wasn’t enough. Soon, I had to put forth all my efforts with contacting veteran bloggers with questions, concerns, and had to read blog after blog after blog in order to find my own wings. 2016 was tough to say the least and 2017 had its patches as well. 

In year 2017, I had great days where my stats were glowing and showering with new views and followers – I was hitting top success, BUT towards the middle & end of 2017 my blog was coming to a slow end ( I was writing less entries, views were low, my following was slow and my online presence was dwindling) getting lost in all the saturated fitness and health blogs— I struggled to stand out. My blog helped to get me sponsored as an athlete, it helped me be able to have a chance in writing for editors of very popular magazines (Muscle and Fitness magazine) and it gave me opportunities to write for online sources both paid and unpaid opportunities all the while it was tumbling down a downward slope.. 

I love my blog, and even though it isn’t at its BIGGEST success as of yet, I hope that 2018 will be the year it shines its brightest. In fact, I plan on putting in more work on this blog (and my other blog) than I have in the past couple of years of writing because I have HUGE dreams to fulfill and HUGE ideas that are possible and with the right amount of time and dedication, I know I can turn my blog into a HUGE success. A blog that will blow the minds of those who doubted me. In the meantime I plan on taking this blog to new heights, but still keeping it simple & still keeping it true to myself – always. 

I have seen my pitfalls and my triumphs within my writing – and 2018 will still have pitfalls and triumphs, it will just be a new year of showing continued growth. Many people consider me a successful blogger/writer in the fitness industry, but I don’t consider myself as such because the most successful of them are the ones who you remember the most, you read the most, you follow, you feel inspired by and have learned something from that has significantly played a part in your life, you subbed to their blog because you never want to miss a moment or story; you didn’t leave their side during bad months of writing and you weren’t just a follower of their’s- but somebody they knew and had grown to connect with. I want that. I want all of those things when people visit my blog. 

I appreciate all of you for being here to read this, It means a lot to me that I am ending 2017 on a positive note. Have a wonderful NEW YEARS 2018 🙂

Shay-lon Moss