Yesterday, April 12 2017 was the 1st anniversary of my blog and so today I wanted to share what this journey has taught me, so for more, read on…

So how did I start??

I had been following blogs for years and had always wanted to have my little space on the World Wide Web, which I would use as a creative outlet for me! A few weeks before my 30th birthday, I decided to finally take the plunge and check off this item from my 30 before 30 list and just like that raindropstosunshine was born!! 

Over the past year, I feel like I have learned so much, yet still have a lot to learn in the future. As today is my blogiversary, it’s the perfect timing for a little reflection!! 

This isn’t a post about blogging tips and tricks or what worked for me (if you’d like to see like that in the future, let me know) but more about what I’ve learned about life in general through my blogging journey.

So without further ado-

1. Be Authentic / Be Yourself!!

This one might seem redundant, but it’s oh so true!! When I first started, I “tried” to follow the footsteps of many of my favorite bloggers, but very soon learned that that was not me. I am me, and I have my own thoughts, style, attitude and zeal towards life and copying someone wasn’t my piece of cake. Finding my style definitely took some time, it was a self-discover journey that I honestly loved and enjoyed. In order to be authentic you need to not only know who you are, but accept yourself too and this blog has taught me to do just that!

2. Know what works for you and do not compare!!

Comparison is the thief of joy. It really is! It never leaves anyone happy and trust me, you’ll always come across someone who is better that you in certain aspects of life, but don’t let that dim your sparkle. Know what works for you and stick to that. Ofcourse there is nothing wrong in trying new things but definitely know when to stop. Also knowing and understanding your audience and catering to their likes and dislikes helps build the blog vieweship, but definitely don’t let that keep you from trying new things!

3. Be selective…

Initially I was overwhelmed with the entire blogger community and it’s expectations. I don’t mean this in an offensive way, but it definitely wasn’t for me. I love my family and my me time and dedicating weekends after weekends to blog events was not my cup of tea. I attended some very cool events and met some wonderful ladies, but still didn’t feel like I belonged there, so now I pick and choose events I am interested in and do not let the “peer-pressure” get to me.

4. Be prepared for people to dislike you. And be okay with it. 

When you put yourself out there in the public eye, be ready for some negative energy, coz trust me, pleasing everyone just isn’t ever possible! While I do respect some constructive criticism, negative energy is the one thing I don’t have time for. I surround myself with people who are positive, who love me and who are rooting for me, so there’s no time for haters!

5. Share how much you are comfortable with.

I am pretty much an open book, but in some aspects of my life, I like keeping things personal and sharing it with just family and close friends. This however, doesn’t ever harm my blog as I am very happy with how much I choose to share and hence every post is straight from the heart and so I am lucky that I am always able to connect with my viewers.

This year has been full of learning and I promise to keep on bringing more fun content your way! So thank you all, for the love and support, and yup! Keep reading!! Cheers 🤓🙃😘🍾