fall in love again.

My post for today is a bit out of the ordinary, but I hope you'll bear with me. It's been brewing for long enough ;) I can hardly believe it, but nearly six months have past since I had my first polish consultation this past spring. It's been amazing to meet with fabulous bloggers {over Skype and email} to help them craft their niché in the blogosphere. Though I didn't major in blogging during my years at Georgetown, I would like to think I've learned quite a bit by trial and error. If there's one thing I've encountered in recent consults, it's a new fatigue setting in. Bloggers are getting caught up in the whirlwind and I see their joy in blogging fading, which is exactly the reason behind my post today.

Here are six {by no means fool-proof} tips on how to fall in love with blogging (again)...

1) Plain and simple: you get out of blogging what you put into it. Your blogging experience won't be as rich or as rewarding as it should be if you're not actively "participating" in your blog. If you put up a post and don't share it on any social media, you're not engaging with anyone or bringing anyone to your blog. I'm a huge advocate for social media, though I don't encourage the overshare ;)

2) Leave genuine comments, not ones which say "great post--I'll follow you if you'll follow me". I'll admit that my time is in short supply these days and doesn't often include commenting. However, it doesn't mean I don't read, appreciate, and cherish each one you leave. By leaving generic comments, you invite people who will leave the same kind of comments for you. Blogging is all about community. {Quite frankly, a community based on the number of comments and followers is a pretty petty one. I could write an entire post on this topic alone, but I'll leave it at that for today.}

3) If you have a question, ask it. I get emails from readers asking how to participate in Friday's Fancies, how to make collages, and countless other topics. I admire them for asking because it takes guts to put yourself out there and admit you don't know something. Again, I'll harken back to the fact that blogging is a community and we're here to help one another--not compete. If you're in it for the latter, it's not cool and it hurts the rest of us. 

4) In my first six or eight months of blogging, I felt slightly like I'd reverted back to seventh grade. It was all about who you knew and where you stacked up. What I'm alluding to is this: don't try to fit in with the crowd and do your best to stand out. Sure, you may see certain bloggers gaining steam for a particular type of post they're doing. {Great for them}! Try to find your own spin and create your own steam engine. Though imitation is absolutely a form of flattery, the fact that so many blog posts look the same is a bit frightening. I just wish I was brave enough to follow this same advice when I was twelve years old with frizzy hair and braces.

5) I've said it once and I'll say it again: don't get bogged down by the numbers. It is fun to celebrate little victories {like hitting 50 followers or getting comments in the double digits}, but for heaven's sake, please don't define a good day by your stats. Enjoy these little celebrations in the quiet of your home ;) I have good days and I have bad stat days, but in all reality, my "bad" days pale in comparison to the awful days of people in the midst of life crises. 

6) Blog for you and not for anyone else. With each and every post I share on {long distance loving}, I spend a good deal of time prepping it for the "world" to see. I will never post about something I don't sincerely like. I may use promotional links for some posts, but they're all for products I truly wish I had in my closet or home. Make blogging for yourself your mantra. Your posts will be better for it--and your readers will thank you.

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For those of you who've made it this far, thank you. This list is fluid--and I want your additions! Please understand these suggestions weren't meant to rock the boat, only to make the blog world a friendlier and happier place. I desperately want this community to continue for years to come--but we all need to be on a similar wavelength to make that happen ;) Thanks again for reading.

P.S. If you want me to help you polish your own blog, all you need to do is email me. I may not be a master, but I absolutely care about making the blogosphere a better place and would love to be in your corner!