This was quite the year of blogging for me. I wrote 106 posts, consistently increased my monthly pageviews, and toyed with the idea of monetization by writing sponsored posts and using affiliate links. (In the end, I decided the monetization route just isn’t for me. Even affiliate links make me feel icky.)
I’m really proud of the writing I did this year. My goal was to write a lot more personal essays and to really put a lot of effort into the posts I was publishing, and I think I did that. I wrote posts that I was scared to publish, either because the topic felt a little controversial or the post made me feel super vulnerable, and that’s always a sign that I’m writing from my heart.
The top reason why people find my blog is still people searching for information about being an introvert with social anxiety, and I’m happy to be a voice for those who want answers. (I’m planning on writing a lot more about this topic in 2017, so get ready!) And a blog post of mine was picked up by a very popular website, and I can’t wait to share that with everyone soon! (I’m still in a state of shock, so bear with me.)
As I have done for the past three years, I wanted to share some of my most favorite blog posts from the year. It was really hard to narrow this list down to just eight posts because I felt like I wrote some really strong personal essays this year (#humblebrag), but here’s the list!
1) My favorite post was Healthy Living Shifts and Changes
“I just want more from my life. Food is meant for fuel, but it is also meant to be enjoyed. That is, essentially, what it is biologically designed to do. When I’m counting calories or measuring out specific servings, food becomes less about enjoyment and more about punishment. It turns eating into a moral dilemma, and makes me feel as if I’m being a good, disciplined person when I eat healthy foods and a bad, unmotivated person when I opt for the more fattening or carb-heavy foods.”
2) My most popular post was Chronic Singleness, Shame, and Accepting What Is
“Perhaps my reason for being chronically single is that this was just the path I was meant to take. Maybe it’s as simple as that. It doesn’t mean anything about me personally. Maybe I was only meant to have one or two serious, long-term relationships in my life and it just hasn’t happened for me yet, but it will in the future.”
3) My most helpful post was Lessons Learned From Writing 1,000 Blog Posts
“Rules don’t exist. Your blog can have a niche, but it doesn’t have to. You can write five days a week, or you can write whenever you feel like it. You can make perfect Pinterest pinnable images for every post, but it’s not necessary. Follow the rules that feel good and authentic to the type of blogger you are and forget the rest.”
4) A post whose success surprised me was A Week Without Dairy (<– received the second-most page views of posts written this year! WUT.)
“Last week, I eliminated dairy from my life and it led to some really interesting epiphanies on my end. First of all, I never realized how much dairy I consume on a daily basis.”
5) A post I didn’t feel got the attention it deserved was 5 Lessons Learned from Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
“It’s very hard for me to separate who I am from my writing, because I often feel that I am my writing. But that’s not true – I am so much more than my writing. My novel is not my baby. I do not need to place my work on this pedestal, believing it is the best thing that could possibly be written. Because what happens if someone suggests a change? Or it gets rejected? Without understanding that this novel is just a novel – it is my novel, yes, but really, it’s just a novel – I won’t be able to handle that.”
6) My most beautiful post was For the Love of Writing
“What makes me more of a success: not writing because I’m scared I’ll never get a publishing deal thus rendering all my hard work meaningless? Or writing and working hard and chasing after that dream and living life full-out, knowing that it is all too possible that I’ll never get the publishing deal I want?”
7) The post I was most scared to push publish on was Motivation is a Myth
“And isn’t it interesting how we’re always waiting for motivation to just… show up… to give us permission to do the thing we want to do? If we’re not feeling motivated to do that thing, oh well then! Guess it just wasn’t meant to be.”
8) The post I am most proud of was Sad, But Not Defeated
“But let me be clear: I am not upset because a Republican won. I am upset because hate won. I am upset that someone who ran on a platform of bigotry and hate, someone who thinks sexual assault is a joke, won. I am upset that he won.”
2016 was a great year of posts for you! I feel like my posts don’t have as much substance these days as I don’t feel like I can write about some aspects of my life, like things having to do with my relationship. So my blog is different than it was during my single days. But I am still trying to come up with thoughtful posts. I also don’t feel like I have as much strife and difficulty in my life as years passed – which is obviously a good thing!
Isn’t it interesting that sometimes the writing that you value the most doesn’t get the attention that you think it deserves, while other – rather random posts – garner a lot of attention.
I’ve enjoyed following along this year and have greatly enjoyed your blog!