A YEAR LATER

365 days, 52 weeks, 12 months and 256 published posts later, I have successfully finished my first year blogging. I honestly don't know if I would still be blogging to this day if it weren't for great readers, lots of encouragement, and inspiration from other amazing bloggers. I've learned so much - and it feels like just yesterday that I published my first post and created my own little spot on the internet. 
When I started blogging, I (honestly) began wanting to get all the readers and a major response. I wanted to be just as successful as a lot of the girls' blogs I was currently reading, wanted to have all the amazing opportunities and the insane amount of followers on social media and on their blog itself. It was definitely a jealousy game at first for me. I have had those low moments (and still do) when I just don't want to blog because I don't feel like my blog is going anywhere - but, then I remember where I've come, the friendships, and the branding opportunities that have come out of it all and I just keep blogging. Every blogger is always going to tell you that you cannot expect to get all the followers day 1. Some bloggers may have the absolute pleasure of getting their blog picked up after the first few months, (which is great!) but I have loved being able to grow my blog without the pressure of the amount of readers and followers.  With all this being said, I have been able to blog for myself, and have realized what a joy and great creative outlet it brings to my life.  Bloggers like Carly, who has been mentioned infinite times on this blog, just had the great opportunity where she created her blog at the right time (and she's so lucky!). But now there are blogs everywhere, social media has boomed, and competition has spiked. If you're stuck and you're thinking of giving up on blogging - don't. It's so worth it. 
I mentioned last week that being a blogger in high school isn't the easiest thing. And it really isn't. There aren't many people who understand you. It's hard to talk with my friends about HTML, twitter stats, Google Analytics, post ideas, etc. I was (and still am) so worried about the response I would get from my peers when they found out that I write to readers I've never met. I even created a separate Instagram just so that my personal Instagram would not be harassed by people who didn't understand what I was doing. I even started off Freshman year with few people knowing ... and that number of a few has barely grown. For some reason, it's just something that I'm worried about telling others about. By the end of the year, I had a few people even tease me for my blog, which made me even more self-conscious and did not help. (My one friend, Mariah, teases me playfully and now calls me ESP and asks if a certain event is "blog worthy", which I love!)  There have been times where I am self-conscious about hearing people talk about it, or read my posts (sometimes aloud) in front of me. For some reason it makes me uncomfortable, which needs to change over this next year of blogging. 
Since that first post, I've even changed the brand of my blog. There's no more "Everyday Southern Prep" banner as you enter my site, but it's now A Thousand Tomorrows - which, in truth, I feel now doesn't even really describe who I am and the brand I want to build. It has been so hard for me to figure out what category this blog fits into and how I should title it, so in the near future, there may be a brand + URL change solely so that I can brand myself the way I want to show myself. I don't know if it's just me or if other bloggers have had this issue, but it's really something I've been considering these past few weeks. 
I've been able to join 3 blog groups - Her Campus, The Smart Girls, and the SITS Girls. Each of them has impacted me and my blogging in some way; whether that be improving my content, allowing me to meet many other bloggers, or just connect in new ways over social media and link ups. Blog Groups are so helpful and most don't even cost you a penny - they're SO WORTH IT. 
I was also contacted by two brands this month - Julep and Tiny Prints, to work with them to highlight their awesome brands and products. It was the highlight of my time as a blogger thus far, especially hearing very kind and inspirational words from the woman I worked closely with during my collaboration with Tiny Prints. It was such a great way to celebrate an almost year of blogging and definitely gave me a burst of confidence I needed this summer after a rough and difficult year at school. 
Part of the benefit of blogging is having an online diary. Some bloggers don't always share their personal lives, (which I totally understand and respect!) but I have loved being able to share parts of my high school life with you. When I am older, graduated, married and have kids, I cannot wait to be able to pull up my blog from high school (that continues until God knows when), and show them how "cool" mom was. (LOL they're probably going to make fun of me) I can only think what my future husband will think.
One of the largest benefits that I've seen come out of blogging has to be my writing skills. Part of English classes and High School Testing includes timed writing on a certain subject. Blogging is definitely very similar - there have been countless times when I've picked my topic, and written away for 30 minutes because that's all the time I have. 
Some of my FAVORITE Posts :: 
Branding, Organization, and Selling Yourself as a Blogger Tea Talk Tuesday Series Italy Reflection What's in My Carry-On EXCITING NEWS + Night On The Town My Real Self Breakfast in Bed 2013 in Pictures ( 1 // 2 ) 2 0 1 4 15th Birthday + 15 in 365
Thank you for being such great readers and such an inspiration and motivation to me. You'll never know how much you really mean to me. And I hope that someday I'll be able to meet a few of you in real life.  I feel like I haven't said everything I wanted to say, but I can't ramble on any longer!
xoxo