Just BEGIN: my 5 tips to begin pursuing your goals

This year has been quite a year for me. At this time last year, my blog was just a thought that I hadn’t yet acted on. I wanted so badly to be a fashion blogger, but was immensely intimidated by all of the blogs that I followed and admired. Little did I know, one year later, I would be in the middle of this amazing journey and would meet so many influential and wonderful people.

Through blogging I have become a part of this creative blogging community and am surrounded by the most encouraging and uplifting people. I have learned a great deal about myself and have grown more confident in my abilities to accomplish things I normally wouldn’t have had the courage to tackle. Just a short year ago, I was overwhelmed with self doubt and anxiety over many things in my life. This journey has really helped me believe in myself; something that wasn’t easy for me to do. Once I allowed myself to begin to work towards my goals, I learned that nothing is worth giving up on before even starting. The journey is the best part of any goal and the things you learn about yourself can help you get through anything.

Below are 5 things I have learned thus far in my blogging journey. These are things that can be applied to any instance where you find yourself doubting your abilities. We can accomplish more than we can ever dream. We mustn’t limit ourselves to only working towards goals that we believe we can accomplish. The things that scare us are the journeys that make us who we are. 

Photography: Life of M Photography

1.  Begin
   • “If you’re serious about changing your life, you’ll find a way. If you’re not, you’ll find an excuse” – Jen Sincero
   • To begin achieving our dreams, we must simply begin. Starting something, in my opinion, is the hardest part about taking on a new project or task. When I thought about blogging, I honestly never dreamed I could actually pull it off. I would scroll through social media and fashion blogs and tell myself there was no way I create something that could measure up. The fear of failing kept me from even beginning. I told myself I couldn’t do it before I ever gave it a shot. We can never know the outcome of something unless we actually have the courage to BEGIN!
2. Ask for help
   • One of my downfalls is believing that I need to figure everything out on my own. If I hit a bump in the road, or am struggling with a task, I will drive myself crazy trying to solve it. It is unbelievably freeing to accept that you can’t do everything alone. Those you keep in your life and surround yourself with are there for a reason. Lean on them when things get stressful or complicated and they will always be there to help you where they can and lift you up!
3. Fail
   • I know I have said this before, but it is one of my favorite mantras: Out of failure comes our greatest accomplishments. Our greatest accomplishments don’t need to be large events, but even small instances that slowly begin to change who we are or set us on a new or unexpected path. 
4. Don’t give up
   • Just as we lean on others for help, we need to lean on our loved ones for encouragement. Even more than the support of others, tho, is supporting ourselves. There is often a voice in my head that makes me question every move I make. — “What if it doesn’t work?” “What if they hate it?” “This sounds stupid” “I can’t do that!” — The biggest thing I learned this year is to keep going. I have to constantly remind myself of all that I have been able to accomplish just by pushing through my self doubt. By giving up, we would never know what we could have allowed ourselves to achieve.
5. Encourage others
   • Don’t forget to help others along your journey, no matter what it is. None of us would be where we are without those in our lives and even the strangers that we met along the way. Take the opportunity, whenever you can, to remind others that they are enough and they can accomplish anything. You never know when your words or actions can change someone’s day. Even the encouragement of a stranger or acquaintance can give someone the confidence they need to begin whatever journey has been scaring them.  

Overall, I want to thank all of those who have helped me get to where I am today; not only with my blog, but in my career and in my life. Thank you to my family and oldest friends, and thank you to my new wonderful friends I have made through the blogging community. Your constant encouragement is what gives me the courage to keep pushing when my doubt begins to dampen my confidence! A special shoutout goes to the Kahla and Rechelle of SEA of Sanctuary and McKenna from Style Her Lovely. I have latched onto these amazing ladies since starting my blog and we have had the opportunity to learn and grow with each other. We each started our blogs in the beginning of 2017 and continue to share our experiences and work together to succeed.

We all have the ability to change our path, to do something that scares us, and to start something new. We just have to BEGIN!

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