I know I said this on Facebook earlier this week, but I CANNOT believe this little ol’ blog is TWO. Seriously. Whenever starting a new hobby or endeavor, it’s always questionable whether or not it will last or grow, and I can’t said I didn’t have doubts about this journey when first getting into it.

What if I don’t like doing it? What if no one follows me or reads my posts? What if it becomes too stressful?

I’m happy to say that even at 2 years in, I don’t only like doing it- I LOVE it. I genuinely like writing posts and sharing my thoughts, workouts, recipes, happy times and rough times with all of you. I was feeling a little burnt out at the end of the year, but after taking some time off and figuring out some changes I wanted to make, I started this year out with so much motivation and excitement towards my blogging “hobby”. I’ve got so many blog post topics written down, so stay tuned for a fun year 🙂

As far as being worried about followers or people reading my posts, thanks to all of you lovely people, I have nothing to worry about! Without you, this blog would be nothing; it’s thanks to your support, comments, encouragement and readership that helps keep this blog going. I’m always thinking of new things I can share with you, whether it be workouts, recipes or some type of life thoughts, I just love sharing things with you!

And lastly, although I’ve gotten stressed over not posting new material for you guys as often as I’d like to,  I’ve been able to work through it. I’ve also gotten better at prioritizing and giving myself a freaking break if I don’t post five times in a week or I don’t post a “Wednesday Workout” post for you. I’ve learned to accept that life gets in the way or blogging and that’s AWESOME, and shouldn’t be something to stress about!

So, with that said, here are a few things I’ve learned over the past two years:

1. Blogging is my hobby, and until it starts to make me money, it’s got to take the back seat sometimes.
2. Blogging is supposed to be FUN, not stressful, and certainly not something I should feel like I HAVE to do.
3. Don’t force posts because forced posts come through loud and clear to readers, so rather than posting just to post, wait and post when I actually have something I WANT to write about.
4. Don’t accept products just to accept products. This got the best of me a few times, but over the past year I’ve learned it’s better to turn something down if it doesn’t fit with me or my blog rather than accept it and have to figure out a way to write about it.
5. Interact with other bloggers- the blogging community is so important and a really amazing perk of the gig! I’ve “met” so many amazing bloggers and it’s so nice to be able to connect through our blog posts and support for each other. My goal this year is to be better about connecting to more people.
6. USE SOCIAL MEDIA- this is HUGE! I am not a big Twitter person, but Instagram and Facebook are definitely things I try to be as active as possible without being annoying. It’s a great way to connect and get your name out there.

And, now for the fun part! A few months ago, I signed up to be an Advocare distributor since I really love their Catlyst product. One of the perks was getting a bunch of free Slam and Spark products. Full disclosure: I haven’t used them yet as I try to stay away from caffeine. I don’t drink coffee or anything with caffeine as I feel as though I have great energy most of the time.  With that said, people swear by this stuff! Caroline just wrote a whole post about it and she’s almost convinced me to try it 😉 HOWEVER, since I want to give something to you guys, and because I think these products are great, I’m going to give you a chance to win either the Slam or Spark packets.

From their website:

Spark: Key Benefits

• Enhances mental energy and focus*
• Provides support for long-lasting energy*
• Helps fight occasional drowsiness*
• 21 vitamins, minerals and nutrients
• Sugar-free and only 45 calories

Slam: Key Benefits

• High-powered, portable energy source*
• Fast acting*
• Sustained energy*
• Sharpens mental focus*
• Sugar free

You have 4 ways to enter; leave a comment on this post for all ways that you’ve used.

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me something you would like to see more of this year OR anything you want to share.
2. Follow me on Instagram
3. “Like” me on Facebook
4. Share this giveaway on Twitter

I will pick a winner for each Advocare product on Monday, February 16th and post those winners on Tuesday, February 17th.

Good luck!! And, again, thank you so much for your continued support. I can’t wait to share another year with you 🙂