Hello friends! Kamira here! July is almost over, and summer is in full effect. I promised you a life update, and boy, things have changed. Being so busy, I almost forgot about my six-year blogaversary! I cannot believe it’s been six years since I first hit “publish” on my first blog post in 2016. Time flies when you are having fun and working like a racehorse! So let me fill you in on what has been going on with me and share the lessons I learned blogging along the way.
Life Update
I wrote an inspirational post a while back about living in the moment and taking time to enjoy and make memories. I had just returned from a vacation in the Poconos and felt inspired to share moments from my time away. That time away was much needed.
I had not disclosed that I had a few personal life changes at the time.
First, regarding my father, he had a stroke, but thank God, he wasn’t diagnosed as severe. But over the past few months, many challenges and obstacles faced our family in helping him recover. He is still on the road to recovery as it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
It’s been quite the bumpy road, with stints in and out of the hospital. We do our best, remain prayerful, and continue to help and guide Pops the best we can to see him heal and improve.
Secondly, while dealing with and processing this situation, I was dealing with work drama.
I wrote a post about the day I left my day job to pursue art and blogging. If you missed that post, you could check it out here.
To summarize that old post, I had left my New York City job for greener pastures. However it wasn’t enough to pay the bills. So, I spent time my time blogging and volunteering at the local animal nonprofit down the road. That was so much fun, and I found tremendous healing through that experience.
During this time, a recruiter reached out to me regarding a new work opportunity. I took it.
Now fast forward to the present day in 2022. I learned a new industry and made a few new friends with this new day job. However, as corporate politics go, anyone with a day job understands that it’s all about the money with large corporations. That is their bottom line.
Despite my solid work performance, my day job turned into a situation where my wants and values did not align with what the company wanted. Know your worth.
At a point in time in life, you will be faced with a decision to either sacrifice your values and wants or choose a different direction.
In my case, I decided to walk away on my terms. I took it as a sign that chapter in my life was done.
And this brings me to some of the lessons I learned blogging over the past six years.
Lessons learned
First, despite working a day job, I never quit my blog. Excluding time for breaks during the summer or holidays, I consistently posted every week 1-2 times a week.
At this point, blogging is in my bones. I quite enjoy it. I love putting my thoughts to digital paper and sharing them with you. This blog encompasses the journey of dealing with grief after pet loss but continues to evolve and change.
1) Always learning
One thing that remains true is that, through blogging, I’m always learning and growing. I am learning new aspects of WordPress and SEO with each passing month. I wish I had known some lessons years ago but everything in their own time. You can only be accountable for that which you know.
Blogging teaches you so many skills beyond writing. You learn about editing, graphic design, social media marketing, and more.
And other times, it is frustrating when dealing with tech issues and outages. Grrr! I have learned more about different hosting companies and the pros and cons of many.
I plan to make changes soon.
2) Change is inevitable
Another thing I’ve come to realize is that change is inevitable.
The last time I took a survey poll from my Impurrfectlife Insiders about the type of content you want to keep seeing. That survey revealed that inspirational posts and grief content resonated with you most. So, I dialed back on art posts but continued to upload new designs on my Redbubble shop.
My readers enjoy inspiring content that keeps them motivated and uplifted. I think such content is needed now more than ever.
So, this had me thinking about the direction of Impurrfectlife for the future.
3) Blogging brings new opportunities that pay more
After leaving my day job. I took a much-needed vacation, which co-incited with a pre-planned 10th wedding anniversary trip. So glad everything happened the way it did. The timing could not have been better. I took this time to think about what I wanted and desired.
I often talk about learning from our pets that this is one life, and we must live it to the fullest. Our pets enjoy doing what they love best. We can learn from them. So that got me thinking.
I have spent my free time blogging and writing every week. Although my blog efforts pay for themselves, what if I changed my mindset to elevate and try bigger things? What about freelancing?
Truth be told, my younger sister told me for YEARS, “You need to do freelancing, Kamira, like seriously!”
Sis, if you are reading this, pat yourself on the back now.
I’m a freelance writer.
Well, I will not bore you with the details, but yes, I’ve jumped right into acting accordingly. Today, I am a freelance writer. I took a chance on myself and landed my first client last month.
I love the flexibility and freedom to do what I like, 100% remote, with no deadlines, and learn along the way. Plus, I get to write about cats! It is not grand, but it’s a start, and that is all that matters.
4) Algorithms and stats fluctuate
Another lesson I learned over the years is algorithms and stats change constantly. Just went you think you have figured things out, something changes. Speaking of which, as summer approached this year, my traffic plummeted out of nowhere.
I have not changed anything, been consistent, and had no issues with my blog. After doing a little research and hearing from other bloggers, traffic has dropped. Changes in traffic can be due to seasons. When comparing this year to last year, people are online less and living their lives outdoors more, so traffic drops.
I’ve learned not to take this personally and understand it is a suitable time to use this time to refresh older posts, tweak my blog, and revamp content in diverse ways like using YouTube.
5) Your voice makes a difference
I have a confession. Sometimes I feel like, is this blog worth it? I don’t have a million or even 100,000 followers like other blogs. However, to be fair, my niche is quite untrendy. I mean, who is psyched about pet grief and loss?
I started this blog as a therapeutic way to talk about my experience with the loss of my cat Dusty (and Precious). Someone out there in the world had to have the same feelings as me and would be searching for a listening ear.
Despite my moments of feeling defeated or like my words are not making much difference, my Impurrfectlife Insiders and visitors remind me my content does help. This is one of the most important lessons I learned blogging.
That is what I want my legacy to be. This world is a crazy enough place on its own. I want my legacy to be that my words and experience help provide support and validation to help another grieving pet parent heal.
And if I can do that for just a handful of people, it is worth it.
Hence, I keep going.
6) Taking a break is self-love.
Another one of the lessons I learned blogging involves practicing self-care. It is easy to let ourselves go and not keep our cups full when caring for others or dealing with trauma.
I have learned that burnout is real. Doing too much and keeping the candle burning at both ends leads to disaster.
So, whenever I feel like my plate is too full and overflowing, I take a step back. I do not have to feel bad about doing so either because those that follow will still be there when you return.
They appreciate it if you communicate what is going on and stay in touch with your audience.
And this leads me to my last point.
7) Plans for the future
I remember when I began this blog, I was not only looking to share my journey of healing after a loss but also to make it a means of income on the side as well. With time my goals changed and included making blogging a full-time venture.
I have learned that although plans started that way, it doesn’t always end up the way you want. I am fortunate that this blog has paid for itself in hosting fees, maintenance, and side income.
However, because my narrowed-down niche is not one highly in demand, the numbers reflect that. I suppose that is why any income made comes primarily from avenues branched out from this blog, like my Redbubble shop and budding freelance work. Go figure!
Many bloggers earn directly from their blogs, but that is not my story. As a micro-influencer, my blog serves as a jumping-off point for opportunities. This space has allowed me to create other ways to generate income streams.
From affiliate marketing to sponsored posts, art sales, and now freelancing, this blog has opened doors for me I would have not even thought of six years ago.
And that is one journey I want to continue to pursue wholeheartedly.
Concluding thoughts
One of the biggest lessons I learned blogging is that plans for the future of Impurrfectlife will evolve. Will I keep blogging updated content? Yes, as I feel inspired to do so.
I have learned my time is precious and have seen the benefits of using my craft to try new avenues with my writing. Doing so is producing fruitful results. And I want to know where this journey takes me.
So, with that said, this is not farewell, but see you later. I’m taking this moment in time not only to take a break from the blog but direct my energy on my self-care and freelance writing opportunities.
As time permits, I will still be creating added content inspired by this blog on my YouTube channel. So, subscribe to my channel here and join my mailing list. I send bi-weekly newsletters with updates straight to your inbox.
You can start viewing my pet loss playlist below if you have not seen my YouTube channel.
Share your thoughts
Are you a blogger too? Did any of these lessons I learned blogging resonate with you? What lessons have you learned as a blogger? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment below or on my YouTube video.
Until next time. Ciao!
