It’s my 1 Year Blogaversary!!!
Happy 1 year to ME! And to YOU, my friends, family, and fellow self development junkies who have been following along over the past year.
You know I'm all about reflection, so naturally ;) that's what you can expect from today's post. But wait, there's more. I'm giving myself a blogaversary present LOL. One of the concepts I've talked about is celebrating your own personal victories, and not waiting for permission, or for someone else to throw you the party. We assume everyone knows what we want, but they don't. Only we know what our deepest desires are, and what makes us jump out of bed in the morning. So I'll share at the end of today's post what my present is to myself. And maybe, just maybe- it'll end up being a present for you too. Because the only thing better than receiving, is giving.
But first, I thought it would be fun to look back at my year of blog posts, and see which posts were read most. Now, obviously there are a lot of variables that contribute to why these particular posts were most visited. But I think it's still worth noting what topics seemed to most pique your interest. Without further adieu, my top 5 blog posts:
The past year of blogging every week has taught me so much about myself. The idea that showing up is half the battle has really resonated with me. There were weeks when showing up was easy- where I knew exactly what I felt called to talk about, and where I didn't feel so vulnerable about the topic that I questioned whether I should write about it at all. There were other weeks that were hard. Really hard. Sometimes I just felt depleted from the week, depending on what else was going on in my life. Where I wasn't sure I could be helpful to anyone else in sharing what I was going through. Even though this blog was for me, it has always really been for all of you. I never wanted to put anything out there that didn't feel like it could resonate with someone else in some productive way. Afterall- I could just keep these thoughts to myself ;) There were weeks where the topic felt really vulnerable- in the kind of way where I knew I had to share, but it felt sticky. It felt hard to hit publish. Wasn't it easier to just keep it to myself? But I made a commitment to doing this- and it was important to me to show up. For myself. No one was holding me accountable but me. No one was paying me. Frankly, the only one it may have mattered to was me. There were weeks where I felt like- am I repeating myself? And there were other weeks where I felt like I hadn't even scratched the surface on some topics that I have the intention to write about, but haven't felt quite ready to.
I realized something else too. When I first started this blog, I said that I didn't know where it would go, or exactly what I wanted it to be. That was… kind of a lie. I wasn't trying to lie to you- I was lying to myself. I was using this blog to build my confidence, and maybe try something on for size. I was suffering from the typical plague of imposter syndrome. So I used the blog as a way to sort of dip my toe in the water, and see how what I was talking about resonated with people (or not). I was trying to gauge interest. And I was seeking validation. As I said before- we can't look outside of ourself for what we really want and need for ourselves. We are the only ones who can do that. The good news is, I've been down this road before. So I was able to see my own patterns, and some of the lessons I've learned from starting my floral design business surfaced to show me exactly what I needed to do. What I need to do is stop dipping my toe in. Stop waiting for validation or permission. Stop overthinking, and listen to my gut.
My present to myself on my 1st blogaversary is to stop playing it small with just a blog. While I love sharing my journey and everything I'm learning along the way, it doesn't stop there for me. I've always wanted it to be more than that. I just didn't have the courage to fully commit to the thing that's been on my heart and my mind for 8 years. 8 YEARS. At the very beginning of my self healing journey about 8 years ago, I saw two different professionals on a regular basis. A therapist, and a reiki practitioner. Both of them separately said to me, when I inquired about my path and purpose, "you know, you could be doing this….coaching people." Both times, I felt this immediate hit of knowing that that was the thing. This word, "coach"… it hit me so deeply. But I immediately came up with a million excuses of why I couldn't. The real reason, besides imposter syndrome, or the issue of not knowing what I would actually coach, was the fear of the vulnerability that would be required to do that work. Starting a floral business felt safer in some ways. I was selling a product, a service, something people needed. And no surprise it started in the form of teaching floral design classes. That coaching concept was just in me. But with the floral design business, I didn't have to sell…. Me. Well, I kind of learned along the way that that isn't even true. Any business you're in, you're selling yourself too. It's why people choose your business over the exact same one that someone else if offering. I've also learned that the vulnerability is 100% necessary to get literally anywhere we want in life. There's just no way around it.
So I'm turning the next chapter on this blog into what it's always been meant to be in my heart. A place for me to help you live Merrily. To take all that I've learned on my own journey, and help you on yours. Like any business, I'm sure it will take lots of different turns and iterations before it becomes what it's fully meant to be. For now, Living Merrily will be a 1:1 coaching service. A way for me to help you live Merrily, whatever that means to you. To live a life that's authentically you, filled with purpose and joy. To help you step away from a lifetime of conditioning that told you who you needed to be, to find the version of you that feels most authentically like who you came here to be. I'll be here to hold space for you for self reflection, be your sounding board, and be your biggest cheerleader.
You'll notice the website is different (check it out!), allowing for Living Merrily to grow into it's next iteration. But the blog is still here ;) It's still my intention for now to keep showing up there too, and I hope it can still be of some value to you. Now- as for my blogaversary present to YOU. I'd like to offer some coaching sessions for free, to you (check out the areas I'm focusing on here). The first 3 people to reach out to me here will get my new coaching services (steps 1-3 here) for free. No strings attached whatsoever. My gift to you for following this journey I've been on. And not totally selfless in act either! You'll be giving me valuable feedback as my first clients on how I need to refine my offerings, my approach, etc.
I couldn't be more excited to start on this next chapter. And I'll leave you with this last quote that I heard recently, that's really resonating with me today- Be it, until you become it.
Here goes nothing-
xo
P.s. my first baby, Merrily Blooms, isn’t going anywhere ;)
