#KISE4Years: Four Life Lessons That’ve Become Clearer

July 2016 marked 4 complete years of blogging (although my 5th actual year!) here on KISE! The time has flown by and I honestly wouldn’t change anything! …at the same time though, I’ve done a lot of growing, the blog has done a lot of growing and it seems things are constantly changing!

So in honour of my four year blogiverasry, I wanted to share four lessons that have taught me the most and where they have played a part in my blogging journey and life:

Lesson #1. Learning When To Say No 

I think this is one I’ve seen a lot of friends and bloggers struggle with – finding that balance and not over committing oneself to a host of activities.

Saying no actually isn’t easy to do but it’s something I’ve been practicing! It also doesn’t have to mean “the end”… you can say no to one opportunity but maybe presented another way you would like to work together.

Since becoming freelance (full time) I have to prioritise earning a living over attending events for the sake of it. Simple things, such as travel expenses add up so it’s often appreciated if they are covered in order to attend events especially as I place a high value on my time.

Charlie recently wrote an interesting post about knowing your worth as a blogger after a chat we had and I couldn’t agree more with her points.

Every hour I spend travelling, being at an event, taking pictures and writing it up on the blog is time I could be earning money or at least creating opportunities to earn money rather than working for free.

Having links placed on my blog, and getting your brand in front of the eyes of anyone who shares their time with me to read what I write is almost invaluable too.

It does take strength to say no, but it certainly helps to take the pressure off at times.

Lesson #2. In A Year From Now, Will This Matter? 

This is a great question to ask yourself in those times that feel so bad. Once you realise that something may only seem dramatic / negative in the moment, yet 12 months later, you might not even remember it happened helps to put things into perspective.

Will it matter 12 months from now that I didn’t run a particular race? Will it matter that I didn’t go to one event? Will it matter that I didn’t blog my usual three days in a week??

Lesson #3. Doing What I Know I Must, Not What I Know I Should 

Now this is the biggest one for me at the moment. It all got stirred up, and easier for me to understand when I read an article and then a particular book.

I learnt to make decisions based on what was going to get me closer to my goals rather than what society expected of me.

When I was growing up (how old does that make me sound?!) it was still a given that you go to college after school, then university, then get a job, dream of moving out of home, progress in your career… you get the picture.

But actually I have bigger aspirations than all of that and I don’t wanna look back in years to come having to regret not following my passions or giving things a go!

Lesson #4. If You Don’t Ask You Don’t Get 

First of all, you have to be okay with being told no. Get comfortable with it, because, what does no really mean?! So then, if you want something, why don’t you ask?

Wanna collaborate with someone? Why don’t you ask?

I mean, you could sit around waiting for opportunities to land in your inbox or you can go out there and create the opportunity you’re looking for. It’s easy to sit back and watch other people seemingly succeed without having the slightest idea what they’ve put into creating their own success.

And it’s all completely your own choice.

Do you have a blog?! How long have you been blogging and what are the biggest lessons you have learnt?! 

Elle