7 Valuable Life Lessons Learned Alongside 7 Years of Blogging

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the festive break and are ready for whatever 2024 has in store for us. Oh, and guess what? This Is Still Me just turned 7 today! Can you believe it?

To mark this exciting milestone, I thought I’d share 7 valuable life lessons I’ve picked up in these seven years.

People are too busy worrying about themselves

When I first started out, I was petrified that people were going to judge me. I was worried they would be thinking, “Who does she think she is?” and “Why would we care” but what I failed to realise is that most people are far too worried about what other people are thinking about them to worry about what you’re doing and if they are worried about what you’re doing, they should probably pay more attention to their own lives.

Bottling things up can lead to explosions

Keeping things to yourself to make other people comfortable serves no one. Being open about how you feel about things allows others to understand where you are coming from and stops you from bottling up those emotions and then exploding over something small like an unloaded dishwasher. No names mentioned 👀

Taking Time for yourself should be non-negotiable

I keep learning this the hard way. I’m always giving myself stuff to do. Even when I’m supposed to be chilling out in the evening, I can find myself checking emails or writing instead of unplugging. It’s a work in progress because I really don’t want to hit burnout mode again.

Watch who you give your energy to.

I can’t remember where I first heard it, but it’s spot on. “Some people are drains, and some are radiators.” Drains will zap your energy. You will literally end up feeling drained after spending time with them. But radiators are the opposite – they make you feel warm and glowing inside. I am now more mindful about who I spend my time with and more conscious of what energy I put out when I am with other people.

Taking Risks isn’t as scary as staying in the same place

I’m all about my comfort zone—it’s comfy, cozy, and safe. But if you stick there forever, you could miss out on so much. Stepping out of it? Yeah, it’s never a walk in the park, especially for me. But you know what? Adopting a “what’s the worst that could happen” attitude can lead to the most spectacular outcomes. Some of my biggest and best life changes have come from pushing myself out of my comfort zone, usually kicking and screaming.

Self Reflection leads to breakthroughs

Doing some self-reflection has been eye-opening—I’ve discovered a lot about myself. You can do this in many ways, like journaling, meditation, or even therapy. There is an entire blog post for me to write about this at some point.

Through this self-reflection journey, I have realised so many things about myself. Both the negatives, like my tendency to be a bit guarded (working on that!), and the positives, like my resilience, give me something to pat myself on the back for. It’s that reminder I cling to when that annoying inner critic shows up.

Boundaries, Boundaries, Boundaries

Laying down your boundaries, whether with yourself or others, is like putting up a signpost—it tells everyone what’s what, whether it’s in your personal life or your business. Saying no to what is not for you is perfectly acceptable, and the people who care about you will respect those boundaries.

When people set boundaries with me, it’s like a breath of fresh air. I know where we’re at, what’s cool, and what’s not. It makes things crystal clear and sets the tone.

That wraps up my seven life lessons! Time to celebrate my blog’s birthday. But wait! Now it’s your turn! What’s the latest lesson life taught you? Drop it in the comments below! Let’s kickstart the year by sharing our fresh wisdom and inspiring each other!