One Year On...

Exactly a year ago today, I made the decision to make my first ever blog post. A year ago... crazy, right?

It feels like yesterday when I first had the idea to create a blog and I can't believe that it's been a year since I made that goal a reality.

Blogging has changed my life in so many ways. Maybe not in the ways you'd think either. When I first started blogging, my intention was for it to be just a creative outlet and place for me to plant my thoughts. But you know what? It's become so much more than that. Now, I don't have hundreds of followers or a fancy design yet but I try to post with the best quality content. I always aim for it to help at least one person. If I can help out a single reader then that is worth just as much as having hundreds of followers.

This blog has helped me over the past year. It has gotten me through my GCSE exams, allowed me to spill out my feelings and I guess it has fed my alter ego. This blog shows the best version of myself. My positive, enthusiastic, inspired self. Obviously  i'm not those three things 24/7. I'm human so it's not possible, however this blog constantly inspires me to be. I guess it's sort of like a Hannah Montana type situation, except instead of Miley looking towards Hannah, in situations when i'm feeling uninspired or hopeless, I can kind of ask myself, what would Chelle Belle do? How would Chelle Belle go about this situation? Having this blog has helped me to grow so much and really map out how I want my future to look. It has helped me to discover myself even more than I ever thought I would.

Another thing that I really appreciate about my blog is that when things go wrong or I learn from a new mistake, I can help other people to avoid the same mistakes I made or give people the option to take a different approach. It's nice to have somewhere to share my life experiences and thoughts. I have wanted to be a teacher since I was in primary school and I suppose my advice posts are kind of practise. Helping young people to deal with problems and make the most out of their opportunities.

The thing that I have loved the most about blogging has been the support and feedback that I have gotten. I don't get too many comments but I get a fair few private messages and emails from people telling me how much my posts have helped them through situations or made them think in a different light. It's so rewarding when people appreciate your work and who you really are. I'm nothing but myself when I write and I'm so glad that people notice it. When I published my first post I was kind of nervous. I didn't know how people would take it. I knew that YouTube was widely popular and that vlogging was something people did but I'd never heard of many bloggers before. When I first started I genuinely had no clue what bloggers were the most popular or who really did it, so I was nervous for the reactions of people, especially at school. I wasn't afraid but anxious about what people at school may have thought of it or that they wouldn't care and nobody would read them. I actually didn't think many people would read it but I was so surprised when people at school told me they enjoyed reading it and that they actually wanted me to write another post sooner! I was actually extremely happy that so many people had read my post and people were actually talking about it (positively) with other people. I still find it crazy that even now that I have left school , so many people I went to school with say they regularly read them. All I can really say is thank you! I don't really know what else to say! Thank you for supporting me, thank you for encouraging me, thank you. I'm not someone who cares about having a large following but when I see my blog grow, it motivates me to keep writing and reminds me that there are people my posts could potentially help or make smile.

So, one year on. In a year, I have had some of the best experiences, learnt a lot of lessons, made a lot of memories and it's all here for me to see years from now. I can't wait for the future. I can't wait to share my most favourite memories and opportunities with you all. It has truly been the best year and there shall be many more.

Happy 1st Birthday Chelle Belle x