Where has the time gone?
WOW. Celebrating two full years of The Chic AF. If you’ve been tuning in for two years now, happy anniversary! I appreciate you more than you know. In some ways, it feels like just yesterday that I hit “publish” on my very first blog post (and freaked out because I was sooo nervous to tell anyone). At the same time, it also feels like time has crawled by, because this entire blog adventure has been such a learning process for me.
It’s also very fitting that my blog anniversary falls right after the start of a new year. It’s always so tempting for everyone to start something “fresh” in the month of January, once a new year is beginning. For me, that’s exactly what happened when I started this blog. I needed a creative space to fill a void in my life that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Two years ago, right around this time, I felt very lost. I had just gotten out of a relationship, and didn’t know what to do with myself.
Living life on autopilot
The thing is, the relationship didn’t end because something major happened. There were no arguments. No infidelity. He was an incredible person (and still is, I’m sure, although we haven’t spoken). In fact, the reason the relationship ended was because nothing was happening internally for me. I felt lost. It was the classic, “It’s not you, it’s me” situation that you hear about in movies. Inside, I felt like my life was just on autopilot. I didn’t feel necessarily excited about anything in particular. I would go to work every day, come home, and either go out to dinner with my (then) boyfriend, or I would do nothing/watch tv.
One day, it hit me that I was missing something. It dawned on me that I didn’t really have any hobbies, or anything in particular that brought joy to my life other than relationships with people. There wasn’t anything in particular that I was proud of, or that I felt that I had built. I realized that I didn’t have time to waste living my life on autopilot anymore, and that I needed to create the life I waned to live; a life I was proud of. I ended the relationship that didn’t feel right, and started my blog a couple months later.
You can check out my one year blog anniversary post here, where I go into more detail about why I started the blog, and what tools I used to help me in my first year of blogging.
History repeating
I wish I could say a lot has changed since then, but ironically enough, I’m currently finding myself in a very similar position again. On the two year anniversary of my blog, I am once again finding myself newly out of a relationship, and wanting to make some other major changes in my life (which I will discuss once I have more clarity on!).
While I’m still feeling slightly lost, I’m feeling lost in a completely different way than I was two years ago, or even last year. I can proudly say that I’ve grown SO MUCH because of this blog, and because I had the courage to put myself out there and go after something that makes me happy. 26-year-old-me who started the blog would be proud of how strong I am today, and how much self-worth I’ve developed over the years.. because trust me, I didn’t always have a whole lot of that.
My Learnings
Here are some things I’ve learned over the past year:
– You are never “done” learning. Keep reading articles. Keep listening to Podcasts, and YouTube videos. Don’t know what something means or how to do it? Google it. Google is your best friend when you start your own business.
– If people don’t value you, let them walk away (even if it’s hurtful). Life is too short to waste on people who don’t cherish or respect you. This goes for romantic relationships and friendships, too. Remove toxic people from your life. You will be so much happier once you’re only surrounded by positive vibes.
– It’s always important to network and meet new people. You never know what opportunities may come from it, or who you will meet. I’ve met some of my closest blogger friends after attending events that I was TERRIFIED to go to by myself. In hindsight, I’m so glad I sucked it up, got over my nerves, and attended the events.
– Take a mental health break if you need it. Your mental health is more important than growing your business, because you NEED your mental health IN ORDER to grow your business. You can’t succeed as an entrepreneur if your mental state is unstable. Take breaks, and give yourself some grace.
– Don’t feel the need to constantly compare yourself to others who appear to be “more successful” than you. Remind yourself that Instagrm is a highlight reel, and you are moving at your own pace. As difficult as it is, try your best to trust the process.
– Although it’s hard, try not to worry about what other people think of you. What they think about you is none of your concern.
– LOVE YOURSELF, and remember that you are a bada$$.
xo,
Ashlen
Shop my look here!
