Blogging didn’t start as some lifelong dream or passion project for me. It started as work.
The first blog post ever published appeared in 1994, and by the time I entered the blogging world, it was already booming. Blogs were everywhere. Some people were making real money. Others were building loyal communities. From the outside, it looked established, exciting, and full of opportunity.
From the inside, especially in those early days, it felt lonely, confusing, and incredibly discouraging.
Starting With Almost No Plan
When I started blogging on my own, I did not have a roadmap. There was no deep strategy session, no long-term vision board, and no carefully mapped-out content plan. I jumped in because I was already writing for work, enjoyed it, and figured I could do this too.
That confidence faded fast.
I was used to seeing my articles pull in tens of thousands of views through established platforms. Suddenly, I was staring at a dashboard that said zero. Not low numbers. Not slow growth. Zero.
Every bit of traffic in those early days was organic. There was no social media push the way there is now. No shortcuts. No instant audience. Just writing, publishing, and waiting.
Seeing zero views messes with your head. It makes you question your talent, your voice, and whether you made a mistake trying to build something of your own.
Learning SEO the Hard Way
Back then, SEO was not what it is today. It wasn’t clearly explained, widely understood, or easy to learn. Most of us were figuring it out as we went, often through trial and error.
I was learning while publishing, and that made everything harder.
I didn’t always know why a post failed or why another one randomly performed better. Keywords were confusing. Analytics felt overwhelming. Algorithms felt mysterious and unforgiving.
There were many moments where I wondered if I was wasting my time writing into what felt like a void.
Celebrating the Smallest Wins
Then one day, something changed.
I remember the first time I saw ten viewers. Not ten thousand. Ten actual people.
I was thrilled.
That moment sounds small, but it meant everything. It meant someone found my words. Someone clicked. Someone stayed long enough to read.
Those ten turned into hundreds. Then hundreds into thousands. Not overnight and not without frustration, but steadily enough to remind me that growth was possible.
That progression is what kept me going when quitting felt easier.
When Blogging Gets Heavy
People don’t talk enough about how emotionally exhausting blogging can be. It is personal, even when it’s not meant to be. You put your thoughts, experiences, and opinions out there for strangers to judge, ignore, or misunderstand.
There were seasons when life got heavy and blogging felt like one more thing I was failing to keep up with. There were moments when the internet felt louder than my own voice. There were times when I questioned whether blogging still mattered.
More than once, I considered walking away completely.
Comparing Myself Out of Motivation
Comparison almost did me in.
Watching other bloggers grow faster, rank higher, and seem effortlessly successful can crush your confidence if you let it. It’s easy to forget that you are only seeing the highlight reel, not the years of trial, error, and quiet persistence behind it.
There were times when I convinced myself I was behind, outdated, or doing it wrong. Those thoughts are dangerous, especially when you’ve already poured years into something.
Why I Didn’t Quit
I didn’t keep blogging because it was always fun or easy. I kept blogging because it became part of who I am.
Writing is how I process. Blogging is how I connect. Over time, Gigi’s Ramblings stopped being just a website and became a record of growth, change, and survival.
I stayed because I saw proof that consistency mattered. I stayed because readers showed up. I stayed because even during the quiet seasons, this space still felt like mine.
Quitting would have meant silencing a voice I worked hard to build.
What Ten Years Has Taught Me
Looking back now, I understand that almost quitting was part of the process. Doubt did not mean failure. Slow growth did not mean lack of talent. Confusion did not mean I wasn’t cut out for this.
Ten years of blogging has taught me patience, resilience, and trust in my own voice. It taught me that success is not always loud or fast. Sometimes it is quiet, steady, and deeply personal.
Still Here, Still Writing
There were many moments when walking away would have been easier. I almost did more than once. But staying changed everything.
Gigi’s Ramblings exists today because I didn’t quit during the seasons when it felt pointless. It grew because I kept writing when no one seemed to be watching. It survived because I believed that my voice mattered, even before anyone else did.
Ten years later, I am still here. Still learning. Still writing. Still showing up.
And that alone feels worth celebrating.
Lisa Crow contributed to this article. She is a true crime junkie and lifestyle blogger based in Waco, Texas. Lisa is the Head of Content at Gigi’s Ramblings and Southern Bred True Crime Junkie. She spends her free time traveling when she can and making memories with her large family which consists of six children and fifteen grandchildren.
