“Nothing worth having comes easy,” is what they say. That said, the impatient part of me can’t help but feel as though I will never reach the level of success I am striving so hard for. So what does one do? “Never give up,” is what they say, but being terrified of failure and disappointment sometimes distracts me from my goals. So, now what? ‘”Good things come to those who wait,” is what they say, yet at this point the frustration is unbearable. As a creative, it becomes draining when you begin to feel as though your efforts are never being recognized and appreciated in the way that you think they should; but then you realize why you started. I started my blog to give myself and others an outlet that can provide positive inspiration and hopefully fairly useful information on a topic that I am passionate about. That being said, I am also human; and trying to thrive in an over-saturated, highly competitive industry can sometimes breed feelings of insecurity and doubt. I heard an individual say once, “In order to be successful, you must learn from your peers and compete only with yourself.” That stuck with me because a lot of times, especially in the age of social media, it’s easy to get thrown off your course by following someone else’s progression and losing sight of your own. Coming into the second year of running A Styled Mind, I can proudly say that I have learned so much and grown in ways that I never could have predicted; all from doing something that I love. While I continue to be a work in progress, I will remain focused and optimistic about my blogging journey and appreciate all of the checkpoints (no matter how minuscule they seem, lol) along the way. Because like they say, “if everything came easy, there would be nothing to appreciate;” right? Until next time!