BLOGIVERSARY || FOUR YEARS OF FUN

Hello Royalty!

You can already tell why we are here today!

THE BLOG IS 4!

See that?

You and I rocking this space back and forth…and what do we have here? Four good years! I am excited, and sincerely, this is an appreciation post from the very depths of my heart. Thank you and thank you!

I decided to share four major things I have learnt from blogging since I started four years ago, but before I do that, let’s dive into our annual progress report:

	Year One	Year Two	Year Three	Year Four
Visits	16,510	76,312	137, 244	167,415
Visitors	5,974	21,483	49,885	61,154
Subscribers	9	108	154	218
Search Engine Referrals	124	2,416	4,752	6,733

This year was not great on blogging, and I’ll say it was intentional for the most part. Asides from the fact that I planned higher quality over quantity for the posts, I also wanted to work on the devotional even more and ensure I was not missing out on my academic demands and what not. Juggling writing in all of these spaces was quite some demand. On another note, I could not stop staring at that 70k growth between Years Two and Three. I told myself yesterday, if I spent some more time blogging this year as in previous years, I may have hit a 200k mark. Nevertheless, I am super excited today, and it is almost unreal how excited I am.

FOUR MAJOR LESSONS FROM FOUR YEARS OF BLOGGING

1. It’s not always about you

This is a lifelong lesson. I started the blog to share MY thoughts, MY writings, MY poems, MY blah blah blah. However, the past four years have made me realize it.really.isn’t.about.me. In most cases, I find myself being nothing but a messenger, and I have come to love, accept, and appreciate that. Sometimes, the best moments have involved a few people saying, “I’ll like to start a blog. Could you help with…?” That in itself is pure joy! This lesson has also transferred to other aspects in my life – constantly realizing that we are inspired to inspire.

2. Never join the bandwagon because it’s the bandwagon

Yes, it is possible to thrive in a popular field, but the popularity of the field should never be a motivation. Here’s what I mean. When I wrote this post about my blogging journey, I explained how it took me website upon website to realize what I really should be doing. Why? Because I kept looking at the bandwagon. I said, “gossip blogs” are a hit, so I did that, but guess what? I didn’t even have news to cover. What’s a gossip blog without gossip? Irrelevant.

3. Focus on the message. Forget the numbers.

Ah yes. In the same post about why I started blogging, I mentioned how I shut down my first site because it had terrible numbers…no one was reading it. Well, the past four years have taught me to watch the numbers, but to never focus on them. Why? The message is greater. See the above table? If we keep at it, we’ll watch it grow right before our eyes. Certainly, I apply this lesson to my life in reality. Resilience and perseverance are always the order of the day (even if I give up halfway), except God says there’s no need to pursue and overtake.

You know those who say it’s never too late to start all over again? They’re right. At the beginning, midway, at your wits end, always remember the why and focus on the how.

4. Be teachable

Guess what. No input, no output. The blog is in four categories: Faith, Inspiration, Lifestyle, and Literature. For every post in any of these categories, there’s an inspiration: sitting down to study my Bible to learn from the Holy Spirit, watching others, listening to others, observing the world, asking questions, double checking ideas with friends and family, and of course, reading. Another lesson transferred to life – if we don’t learn, we can never teach.

FOUR MOST READ POSTS IN THE LAST 365 DAYS

Y’all have favorites! Only one of my favorites made it to your list, but you already know how it is: it’s about you!

So, here’s what you read most in the past year (200-400 hits):

1. Seven Years A Believer – IT ONLY GETS BETTER!
2. IWD 2019 | How I Know You Love Me?
3. FAITH || The Difference Between the Called and the Chosen
4. O Jewa Ke Eng?

My favorite that made it to the list? Number 3. That was a post that helped me set my entire year in order.

BLOGIVERSARY GIVEWAY

This year, we are not having the usual giveaways. However, I knew today was a good day to talk about it because one of the reasons I started this blog was to share my poems. Now, the blog is birthing a new aspect of poetry. I don’t want to keep talking. Watch this:

And that wraps up this year’s Blogiversary post! Thank you so much! Thank you for being here! Thank you!!!! Please leave a blogiversary message in the comments, and yes, Happy New Month! May December be a crowning month for us all in Jesus name.

Goodbye Royalty,

With Overflowing Love,

Alexandra Zion.