Life Lessons
I am sitting at my table using my laptop which is on its last leg and I am in a reflective mood as I think about ‘life lessons.’ Nash is asleep which is rare as he seldom goes to bed before I do. The house and neighborhood are quiet except for the intermittent barking of my dog Vision (Vision waits until the still of the night to use his vocal cords). If my neighbors are reading this ’I am sorry.’ I am also listening to inspirational music on YouTube and three phrases keep replaying in my mind.
‘Believe’
‘Trust’
‘Express Gratitude’
These phrases in my mind seem to flow naturally to key bible verses.
‘I believe I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’
‘I trust the plans that he has for me.’
‘Give thanks in everything for this is the will of God for you.’
Shelly at the salt pond in Sandy Ground, Anguilla
When I started this blogging journey, I was not sure if anyone would read my blog. One and a half years later, I am thankful that despite my doubts I started this blog. While I am unable to spend as much time as I would like writing and growing the blog, the positive impact of the blog on myself, the team and others has been gratifying.
I want to share three life lessons I have learned on my blogging and social media journey for My Anguilla Experience thus far.
Life Lesson 1 – Don’t be stingy with your encouragement and support. It feeds the heart, mind and soul of others.
Words of encouragement and expressions of support are powerful motivators. While inner motivation is powerful, each like, each share, each comment, each time you meet Sherise, Nash or I on the road and say you enjoy the blog is added motivation for us to continue to build My Anguilla Experience.
I take this opportunity to shout out and to say thank you to Mimi from Blue Sea Anguilla. While your financial contribution to My Anguilla Experience in the very early stages was appreciated, it was your words of encouragement and the mentorship you provided which will forever stick with me.
Life Lesson 2 – Reading, learning, experimenting and practice are necessary for growth.
If you want to succeed with anything in life you can only ‘wing’ it for so long. Never assume you know it all. You don’t. The point is that we have to seek to learn, grow and perfect our craft. Whether or not you have a natural talent, it can only be improved through practice and dedication.
When we started My Anguilla Experience we did not have a clear plan or goal. Over the last 18 months Nash, Sherise and I have had to reinvent ourselves with the goal of making the blog successful. For example, Nash is now learning all things photography and we all have a greater appreciation for terms like SEO, keywords and the usefulness of social media and blog metrics.
Nash in Sandy Ground, Anguilla
Sherise at Davida Crocus Bay
Life Lesson 3 – Enjoy the journey and be grateful for each moment
We have 731 Facebook followers. This is not a big number. We have had tens of thousands of views on the blog. This is not a big number. However, we are grateful for everyone who has liked us, followed us and read our blog posts. We look forward to the years ahead when these figures will increase but for now we are enjoying the view from right where we are.
Don’t spend so much time fretting about what you have not achieved that you don’t spend time being grateful for what you have achieved. Enjoy the journey. Growth takes time. Use this time wisely to prepare as you look towards the future.
We hope you can relate to these life lessons learned from our blogging journey so far and look forward to sharing many more as we continue to grow.
Beautiful flowers in Anguilla
Moving Forward
Blogging requires commitment, dedication, passion and healthy dose of confidence. It is now time for the team at My Anguilla Experience to take another step forward. We will be starting three activities over the course of the remainder of the year. These are
1) Building our email list to which we will distribute a monthly email newsletter
2) Providing services on the blog which are billable
3) Launching Personal and Professional Development Training by My Anguilla Experience
Please stay posted to My Anguilla Experience on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and our website for further details.
We want to say thank you to everyone who has supported My Anguilla Experience thus far and look forward to your support during this next stage of our growth and development. You can read more about our journey so far here.
Have a wonderful Sunday and week from your friends at My Anguilla Experience!
Sandy Ground, Anguilla
We look forward to hearing from you!
Shelli, I always nove to read your blog, I might not always comment, but I do read, I enjoy it very much, especially local stories about restaurants and beaches! Thanks for your time.
That unknown word is “Love”, and I do love your blog, and you, and your big smile and your enthusiasm! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Ellen. Thank you!!! I already know this as you reached out and embraced My Anguilla Experience from day one. Thanks again for your support. Have a wonderful week!
Hi Shelly, I enjoy reading your blogs. I feel that while they address various aspects of life in Anguilla, they are still very intimate. Keep on feeding the world with good food, Your blogs will continue to bring people together and give them permission to enjoy life.
Natasha W.
I love your comment Natasha. I definitely will continue to write and share with the world and I am grateful for all the persons who continue to read and support the blog and our social media channels. I think you should go ahead start a blog too!