Lately I have been reflecting on my life and asked myself these simple but life changing questions; am I happy? Do I love my job? Is it worth sacrificing my time with friends for blogger friends? Why do I blog? Where do I see myself in the next couple of years? These are very scary questions that many avoid; or if they ever pondered on these questions; how much does it scare them to face the reality of how you’ve shaped your life?! I started blogging because I was forced to do it! Honestly, no joke, my sister has been blogging for almost a decade (yes she’s basically an old fossil now) and has always pushed us to blog and that one day; we would eventually love it and not regret it. So I blogged and wrote about beauty and invested in a 3rd hand Canon camera from my brother. Originally I was called So Tres Chic (maybe I should have kept it? But my sister said it was shit and come up with something else…not like I am happy with my current name, eurgh I hate it because it sounds so seedy, what was I thinking??). Anyway, a year has passed and I still hated blogging; never really found the passion for it but when I tell people I have a blog I so happened to have gained brownie points that I did something extracurricular outside my 9 to 5 job. I remember reflecting again after a year of blogging and thought..I could go somewhere with this and started to brainstorm and buy my own domain and change my layout. At the time, I had my sister to help take my pictures for me at home for all my beauty posts so I was pretty lucky as I could have been stuck with lots of vain selfies, rely on timers and take out of focus shots and loads of flatlays. Fast forward 2.5 years later meaning now; I have come a long way! I blog every single weekend and have at least 3 posts live a week. I love my photography and invested in a Canon 5D Mark II and an Apple Macbook. One thing I realised is that having great photos in my posts aren’t enough; I needed quality content! I admit I have a lot of fluffy content due to mind blocks and perhaps lack of personal thoughts. By writing this post today; I have learnt to really bring out my personal experiences and genuine thoughts and this way; I my words will just flow through my fingertips. Now, I am super duper happy with my life; I feel like my blogging life is equally as busy as my 9 to 6 day job and it is a satisfying feeling to go home after work to work on my blog and write about the things I am passionate about and then I wake up to take a break from blogging by going to work!
So what’s in my blogger world? I am a very spontaneous individual and love to try new things and experience as much as I can. I love food; I love to travel, I enjoy listening to music and channel my healthy lifestyle by trying out different fitness boutiques. Everything I love is what I love to share with all my readers and what I get up to on a day to day basis. Before I blogged; I never travelled, I didn’t work out, I go to work and I go home straight after to chill at home and watch tv. That was my lifestyle; my reality and as comfortable and content as it was; my blog has changed my life. I am a massive food lover and blogging about food has made me proactive to visit all the best food places in London! And because I will take pictures and share it on Instagram; that gives me the extra push to go! Travelling was a massive step for me; I have invested a lot of my income on travelling opportunities and really opened up my eyes to see the world and share what I see with you guys. These are couple of examples of what’s made my life so much better than what it was.
My colleagues and friends opinions of my lifestyle? It’s funny how they think I am living this lavish lifestyle travelling the world; knowing and eating a lot of the trendiest restaurants in London and make good recommendations, stay in hotels, receive free products and so forth! What they don’t realise is how much hard work I have put into my blog to achieve what I have become today. I never received all of these opportunities on a silver platter and explained all the sacrifices I have made to achieve this lifestyle. I think non-bloggers will never really understand a blogger lifestyle and despite the fact that they like the idea to start a blog; it takes commitment, blood, sweat and tears. You have to believe and be true to yourself. Don’t wait for the opportunities and expect them to come through your inbox; you have nothing to lose so contact the brands directly and make the first move to build that connection.
So going back to my original questions: Am I happy? Yes. Do I love my job? Yes. Is it worth sacrificing my time with friends for blogger friends? Yes, I have made blogger friends who I consider as my friends too! Why do I blog? It’s a part of me and my life. Where do I see myself in the next couple of years? Who knows, I will probably have another reflection post to look back today and see whether I have achieved my goals. I expect to see myself still happy, enjoying life, build new memories and money can’t buy experiences.
I have definitely babbled long enough; here I am opening up my mind and my heart. If I have managed to inspire at least one person today; I am fulfilled. Want to say thanks to Mandy for inspiring me today. Happy to hear your thoughts on your life versus the blogging life. May x
The post My Real World Vs Blogger World appeared first on Red Velvet London.