Dress: Modern Day Queen Collection
Happy New Year, beautiful people! We survived 2020 and made it to 2021 #WontHeDoIt After the year we had last year, it feels good to see a new beginning and a fresh start! Today is a special day because it is my 10 Year Bloggerversary! On this day 10 years ago, I was bored in my apartment during my last semester of college. I decided to log onto Blogger.com and start sharing my journey as my college days were coming to an end. Keep in mind, I was blogging before blogging was blogging. I was “blogging” on Myspace (Anyone remembers doing that too? Do you even remember MySpace lol) and before MySpace, I had a LiveJournal. Now if you remember that, you’ve been in these internet streets for a while too lol!
Once I created my blog on Blogger, it became an outlet that I truly enjoyed. I loved sharing my feelings, my favorite products, the latest sales I found and so much more. At the time, I didn’t have any followers and wasn’t getting many views. But guess what? I loved doing it and continued to do it. Fast forward, 10 years later, I am still blogging sharing what I love and am passionate about. This time, it has evolved into something that I never saw coming. I have built an amazing community of beautiful humans from ALL over the world, I have been able to partner and collaborate with household brands that I love (and shared about LONG ago) and use faithfully to this day, and my blog has turned into my business! Like how did this happen for me? I never saw myself as an entrepreneur. Just someone who works hard but never that I would for myself. It hasn’t been an easy journey I’ll tell you that.
I had no intentions of blogging becoming more than just a hobby. After becoming a stay at home mom in 2013, I needed an outlet to keep me occupied since I was at home all day. So I started blogging more but also started my YouTube channel as a visual extension of my blog. But this is something that I didn’t want more than just an outlet. I didn’t quit my 9-5 to pursue this full-time. I actually WANTED a 9-5 and my blog as something fun and extra. Shoot, I finally had my Master’s degree and I didn’t want that to go to waste okay? So I never really put a lot of effort, time, or money into my blog. It wasn’t until after so many rejections, feeling purposeless and discouraged that I felt in my heart that this was one of my assignments in life to fulfill. I was in denial about it because I didn’t have the latest or most expensive fashion to showcase, I didn’t have any blogger friends to collaborate with or to go on this journey with, my site wasn’t top-notch like everyone else and brands left me on read and ignored me on a weekly basis. And it was like this for YEARS to the point where I said I’m done with this. I was over blogging. I was over YouTube. I was over this whole social media thing.
Over time, I kept feeling in my heart to try again. It was like a quiet voice was telling me to pick up my camera, log back into my blog, and try again over and over. So after going back and forth with that voice, I did it. I tried again, revamped my brand and sites, and started to take it very seriously. I did a lot of research, invested in myself, and fast forward to this day, my brand has and is growing and flourishing, I am passionate again about what I am doing just like I was back in the day, and for the first time EVER, I made five-figures in my business last year (mostly from partnerships and the rest from affiliate links and sales from my shop). This is confirmation that I am where I am supposed to be doing exactly what I am supposed to do. God has provided MORE than what I need to continue to prosper and elevate on this journey. So I am going to be put my pride to the side and be obedient this time and JUST DO IT as onto the LORD! (Colossians 3:23)
I’m super excited to announce that I am OFFICIALLY going full-time blogging and content creating! Welcome to the new and improved The Chris C. Wise Blog.com. Whew, I am in love with my new site eeekk! I say officially this time because I’ve said plenty of times before that I was going to go full-time. I wrote blog posts about it, I’ve said out loud I was going to do it. But my work ethics, dedication, and consistency didn’t match that. I was half-a**ing things and not giving my 100%. But that is going to change this time around. Am I scared? Girl…shaking especially when you’re putting yourself out there but also fear of failing and not coming through. As I mentioned, I feel this has been my calling for a while but have been in denial about it for long enough. No more of that, we’re going to do this thang.
If 2020 confirmed anything for me is that life is truly a vapor and we only get one shot a life. And I don’t want to waste any more precious days on earth not fulfilling my purpose because I’m scared or because it’s not what I want to do or had envisioned for myself in the past. After losing my Grandma last year and going through this second miscarriage, I am making a promise to push through these losses, make the most out of each day and keep believing that God will not only give me beauty for these ashes but WILL fulfill the promises that HE has for ME! So I’m going to do my part with faith, confidence, and determination and let God take care of the rest!
I hope that you all will continue to rock with me and support me just as you all have before! When I say I am truly humbled and grateful for the beautiful community I have online and all over, it is truly humbling and mind-blowing! I’m just a black woman from North Carolina that had dreams of being successful and being a light and inspiration in this world. And to know I have and am doing that through my life, my style, and my journey through motherhood via my social platforms is just wow! God is faithful! And you guys have shown so much support in ways that I am just thankful for. So if you would like to continue to support me on this journey, here are a few ways:
- Keep me encouraged. I love it when you guys encourage and motivate me. This journey is not easy and gets lonely at times. So it is much needed!
- Like, comment, share (and subscribe on YouTube) my content on my social platforms. These platforms thrive on engagement so as long y’all engage with my content by commenting, liking, sharing (and saving is a bonus on IG) you will continue to see my posts and it will continue to be seen by others as well!
- Supporting sponsored content when it goes live! Because of y’all, I am blessed to work with brands that I love and I feel will be beneficial for your well-being. So your support is truly needed and very appreciated when it comes to partnerships and collaborations. You can support by of course engaging by liking, commenting, sharing, and saving! But also swiping up in my IG stories and checking out the product (buying it is a plus *wink*), tapping the brand name, and letting me know if you’ve tried it or not! If you guys only knew what goes on behind the scenes especially as a black creator so we truly appreciate your love and support!
- Be kind and compassionate. 2020 took an emotional toll on us as a whole and I know the internet can be a blessing and a curse. So let’s try our best to show more compassion to one another or less judging. If you don’t have something nice to say, just block or ignore that person and log off especially since you technically don’t know that person. If you want to know something, instead of assuming or gossiping, just ask that person and you’ll get the truth. And let’s just get along and love one another from a distance, okay? 🙂
I don’t know what the next 10 years have in store for me on this journey, but I’m going to stay in my lane, ride this thang out and see where it takes me! And I hope it will inspire you all to do the same. Not just from blogging but whatever it is that you want to do in life. Trust that God has a specific plan ordained just for you! And as long as you obey, follow through and work towards it, you will see why your plan didn’t work out and His plan was better in the first place! (Jeremiah 29:11) Cheers To 10 Years! 🙂