Blogsary: Cup of Tyh is 9
Happy Blogsary Cup of Tyh!!!
I don’t normally make a post on my blog’s anniversary, in fact if you will look at my past posts, I only had 2 blogsary post – one in 2014 and the other one was in 2017. But when Facebook reminded me of a photo that I posted about my blog’s 7th anniversary, the urge to write something about Cup of Tyh’s Anniversary suddenly came to me.
Time flies… it surely does! It was already 9 years when I officially published my blog momsiecle.com. Over the past 9 years a lot has changed in my website, I even changed my website name and web address (as you know it’s www.cupoftyh.com now), even how I write and what I write have changed.
When I was starting, I only had less than 20 visitors and that already amazed me. Last weekend, there were 4,005 visitors in my blog and my articles about my stories of my life in Canada remain to be the most viewed posts. Numbers do not actually matter to me, back then, all I want was my own space to put my thoughts into words. I just want to write. I don’t even tell anyone even people close to me that I started a blog, I was so afraid to put my writing out and tell people about it and ask them read it. I wrestled through a lot of insecurities and doubts. My apprehension of being judged and criticized was the number one reason why I held back for a long time. Natalie Bell who is popularly known in the online world as Peg City Lovely played a big role why I decided to put myself in public arena. We used to work together and she was my manager back then, we were talking about work and when our discussion was about to end, she randomly told me, “Hey, I saw your blog, you should get your domain and put out your blog.” That really surprised me and made me think that maybe there are people who actually see and read what I have been writing. Few months later, I decided to put up Momsie’s Blog then I had a guest post in Peg City Lovely. I slowly came out of my comfort zone and Momsie’s Blog started to bring unexplainable joy and pride to me.
Though several years have already passed, whenever I see the number of followers in my FB page, the emails and personal messages I can’t help but give myself a pat on the back for taking that leap of faith and started this journey. I always wanted to be an author, a writer but didn’t have the courage to put myself out there. But I am glad I came out, yes, I can say that it has been a roller-coaster ride but I enjoyed (and still enjoying) the ride. I never thought that my blog will even last this long. So, on this post, I want to share a reflection of Momsie’s Blog now Cup of Tyh’s journey in the blogosphere:
In the world of bloggers and influencers, success is measured with statistics including page views, subscriptions, followers or number of sponsored posts. I may not even be half as successful as other bloggers, but blogging and being around for nine years is an achievement for me. My intention of having a blog was to have a creative outlet to share my thoughts about moving into a new country, until it became my passion to write about my Canadian immigrant journey.
It never occurred to me that I will get support from numerous people that I don’t even know and people all over the world will read what I write. Through the years, this blog site opened different doors for me. I got invited to different community events and got featured in articles that talked about bloggers or immigrants. I made lots of new friends virtually and personally, my blog and the other social media platforms that I am using serve as my door to connect with people from different parts of the world. And the biggest take away for me was the kind messages and the good comments I received from some of the people who follow me. The invitation to collaborate are bonus for me. The messages from fellow immigrants who tell me that they find my blog helpful mean a lot to me, it helps boost my confidence and I treat it as a confirmation that I am doing something good.
Although I keep telling in my articles and even in my social media posts how much I love to write, it doesn’t mean that maintaining a blog is a piece of cake for me. Anyone who has a blog will for sure agree with me that having a blog is challenging and truly requires time, patience and hard work.
Most bloggers started young, talk about late bloomer, that’s probably me. I didn’t start becoming a “blogger” until I was 34ish. I didn’t even have a techy bone, I only know how to turn on and off my laptop and use Microsoft Office when I need to do something. Knowing I barely know anything when I was starting, you can imagine how much effort I have to put in just to put up my website. Google and YouTube became my instant best friends! I had to learn everything – from setting up the website, designing my website, integrating my website to various applications and social media platforms, editing photos, etc.
When I decided to start Momsie’s Blog I knew that it will not be easy and it will require hard work but I never thought that it will really be hard. The whole process required a lot of time and work. Aside from making sure that your website is up and running, the most important part is your content. You had to put in more effort into writing your posts, taking pictures and editing them, proofreading and editing your content and optimizing them for SEO and of course putting it up in social media to promote it. Every article that you read has their own behind the scene struggle.
It is always my intention to share articles that are well-thought of, useful and most especially that come from my own experiences. The people I met, the places I’ve been and even the food that I eat give me ideas of what I should write, there are days that it will just come out naturally but there are days that I am struggling to find what I should write. Pair that with a full-time job and my mommy duties to my three children, it can really be daunting and challenging to maintain a blog. Nine years is a long time and I am just glad that I’m still around.
My biggest take away out of all these is the learnings that I gained from blogging. Blogging did not just teach me to become more patient, resourceful and tech-savvy. It also allowed me to learn more about myself and uncover my fears and insecurities. There is definitely no age limit when it comes to following your dreams, I may not have a book that one may buy from bookstores but the thought that I have a blog that people from different parts of the world can read is more than what I dreamed of. Blogging for me is not just about content writing, there is more to it for me. This blog has grown right along with me.it played a big role to where I am now. It provided me a space where I can share the failures and triumphs that I went through in transitioning to a new life outside my comfort zone and it enable me to reach out to people outside my circle.
I am beyond grateful for all the amazing opportunities that this blog has brought to my life. I know I don’t publish as much, but as I journey to my 10th, I am excited to continue to share not just my immigrant journey but also my love for fashion and style, my fun stories and life lessons as I face my midlife, my financial pilgrim and anything in between!
I want to end this post by thanking all of you for sticking with me. Regardless if you have been following me for the past 9 years or for the past 9 days, I want to thank you for taking the time to visit my blog. I really appreciate all your support, my favorite thing about blogging is the connection I can make to a lot of people. Thank you so much for being a part of my journey and I hope that you will continue to accompany me in this journey…
Stay safe!
Sincerely,
