One Year Blog Anniversary

Exactly one year ago Go Healthy With Bea was born! This one year blog anniversary is for me the occasion to reflect on this past year.

Well, this past year has been a roller-coaster ride. I'm not going to pretend: I have thought of throwing in the towel many, many times over the past year. No one, not even me before I started, can imagine how much effort goes into the whole process. Blogging is like 5 different jobs all-in-one and those 5 jobs are done during one's free time, after one's paying job is over. Because, yes, although there are some exceptions, most bloggers don't earn a living from their blog until 2 to 4 years in. And in the meantime, they earn pennies or even work at a loss.

Blogging is a challenge!

As a food blogger you are at the same time:

• a web techy. What I mean is, as a blogger, one has to deal with all the technicalities of a blog: permalinks, widgets, plugins, Search Engine Optimization (things bloggers have to do, so that you can find their recipes when you are looking for them...) The list goes on and on. This part is my least favorite and this is an understatement!
• a recipe creator. In my case, I should say "create recipes both in cups and grams" as I didn't want anyone to feel left out. Well, as you might have guessed this is one of my favorite parts of blogging. Even though it can be frustrating when I fail at creating the recipe I had in mind. But oh the joy when it is finally successful after many trials (you should see me jumping up and down in my kitchen when I've finally succeeded lol).
• a food photographer: well I'm not there yet but as some of you might have noticed, I've been trying to take decent pictures of my dishes. I've invested in a camera and some photography tools and I've been reading and watching tutorials on how to take food pictures. Surprisingly, the more I work on my photography, the more I enjoy it. And yes, having good pictures is game changing for a food blog.
• a writer: well one has to write blog posts and, in my case, both in English and French! Yes I write everything myself in the 2 languages and believe me, more than once I've wanted to skip the French translation. Why? Because for some reason it's much more fun for me to write in English rather than in French. I also have a much larger English speaking audience so I don't feel like I'm speaking to myself. And, weirdly, I'm also more laid back when I write in English and I don't have the same sense of humour. I thought I was total weirdo until I listened to another French / English food blogger on a podcast saying the same thing. Phew! What a relief I'm not completely crazy (just a little bit lol).
• a social media manager: bloggers have to use social media platforms to promote their blog (well I went to the library to borrow "Instagram for dummies" and I still haven't figured out much about it yet lol).

So yes, blogging is all about blood and sweat (and sometimes tears, but mostly happy tears). It's a challenge!

So why do I keep blogging?

What keeps me going is all the nice comments I keep receiving from readers all over the world. Knowing that I'm helping someone somehow to stick to their new way of healing and feeding themselves is the whole reason for this blog and gives me motivation to continue. Never in my wildest dreams, I imagined getting so much love and support from numerous people all over the world.

My favorite part of blogging

Engaging with my blog's readers is definitely my favorite part of this blogging adventure! I have learnt a lot from your feedback on my recipes and my blog. I love that we share our experiences and struggles and support each other.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Thanks for sticking with me on this journey! It would have never been possible without your support.

I am very grateful for this life changing year. It has been an incredible experience. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

If you want to learn how and why Go Healthy With Bea got started and what was my very first blog post you can read all about it in my post: My first income report as a new food blogger.