Let’s chat about the ultimate break from blogging. Imagine the worst day you’ve ever had.  Okay, now rub coarse salt into it, step on 4,300 legos while barefoot, fall naked from a moving vehicle, and throw raw ham at your face while crashing into a speeding train.  Yep, that’s how my last year has been.

Not only did I go through an emotionally demoralizing divorce from my best friend, soul mate, and retirement partner…I also found out he was having a FULL BLOWN affair on me while we were actively working to rebuild our family and marriage (you guys, this woman had a KEY to his apartment).  Yeah, that bad. Talk about SUCKS.  I cannot even begin to express the pain, betrayal, confusion, self-worth questioning and other BS this situation entailed.  I’ve questioned my sanity, I’ve felt like a fool, I’ve bawled like a 4 month old on my cold, hard kitchen floor, I’ve isolated, I wondered if I’m living a lie, and even drank an entire bottle of wine in 2 hours (totally out of character for me).

Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links. If you purchase I get a small commission to keep this blog running.

It’s just simply sucked.

I’m not going to waste your time talking about how incredibly effed up my roller coaster life has been, I want to focus on the OUTCOME (because it’s good ladies, real good!)

Get this, timing is everything.   I’m finally able to step back and look at the big picture.

I’m stronger.

I’m braver.

I trust my friends more.

New friends have walked into my life because of it.

I’m more in control of my own happiness and success than EVER before.

And best of all, I can now use my own emotions and life experiences to channel this energy into something beautiful for you!  Like LL Cool J once said “Don’t call it a comeback; I’ve been here for years, I’m gonna take this itty-bitty world by storm, and I’m just gettin’ warm!”

Life is full of hurtles, mountains, BS, challenges and heartache, but we always have the opportunity to use this “stuff” as a lesson, a growth movement, a re-birth and as a way to re-connect with old friends, make beautiful new friends, lean on family, and pray for others.  Yeah, I said pray for others.  You wouldn’t believe how much I pray for my ex-husband, because after everything he’s done and the pain he’s caused, I still wish him nothing short of a good life and happy future.  He’s still human, and all humans deserve love and a satisfying life.  I’m teaching my kids this, so I have to live it (as hard as it may be sometimes; I’m not perfect and neither is he.)

On October 5, 2018 it will have been exactly 1 year from the time I published a blog post.  This was right before my life took a wild turn into unchartered territory.   Get this; despite the break from blogging and online affiliate marketing, I continued making passive income EVERY month without fail, still scored new e-mail subscribers, and my readers continued to come, especially from Pinterest.

The point is this, no matter what life throws at you, it’s never too late to pick up the pieces and begin again!

SO, Here’s what happened during my 12 month crazy-train “hiatus”:

I posted my 1^st Blog Traffic and Income Report just 4 months into blogging; you can read it HERE!

Within 7 days I’d received over 3000 page views (read about it here), and within 3 months I’d received over 20,000 page views (read about that here).

Highest Performing 1^st Quarter Posts:

• MAKE MONEY ONLINE USING AFFILIATE MARKETING; HOW MY BLOG EARNED OVER $200 IN MY FIRST 3 WEEKS LIVE & HOW A BLOGGER MAKES OVER $100K MONTHLY BLOGGING!
• HOW I GOT 3000 PAGE VIEWS IN MY FIRST “LIVE” WEEK OF WORDPRESS BLOGGING!
• SO YOU WANT TO LEARN HOW TO FLY FREE? YOU’RE IN THE PERFECT PLACE! START HERE!
• BLOGGING FOR INCOME!

Then, life happened and I didn’t post for an entire year. Not a single post.

Here’s where I was at, as of July 28, 2017:

• Blogger Hangout Facebook Group: 275 Members
• Blog traffic:  20,232 Page Views
• Pinterest followers:  383
• Twitter followers:  74
• Serena on the GO Facebook page:  320 “Likes”
• Instagram followers:  186
• E-mail subscribers:  392
• Started Elite Blog Academy 3.0:  Currently on Module 1

Here’s where I am as of September 19, 2018:

• Blogger Hangout Facebook Group: 1,745 Members (increase of 1,470 members)
• Blog traffic:  43,547 Page Views (increase of 23,315 page views)
• Pinterest followers:  1,745 (increase of 1,362 followers) and over 7,000 monthly viewers!
• Twitter followers:  91 (I’m still clueless how to use it)
• Serena on the GO Facebook page:  454 “Likes” (increase of 134)
• Instagram followers:  535 (increase of 400 followers)
• E-mail subscribers:  753 (increase of 361 subscribers)
• Started Elite Blog Academy 3.0:  Currently on Module 3, but going to start all over again soon!

I also recently finished Tracie Richmond-Fobes’ Blogging course called “Learn, Grow, Earn” which is an awesome budget-friendly alternative to Elite Blogging Academy!  Tracie is a VERY well known, successful blogger and social media consultant  I highly recommend this course if you’re just starting out, or well into your journey but still find yourself needing additional information on blogging legalities, sponsored posts, how to market yourself, etc.!

The other thing I did just prior to going MIA was building a Pinterest Group Board from scratch.  As of today, there are 265 creative contributors and over 1,400 followers!  I’d call that a success!   I’m always welcoming new contributors with high quality content and I still offer my FREE e-book on making perfect pinnable images!

Expenses:

Bluehost $154.08– This is where I “host” my blog, and they come highly recommend from me!  If you’re just starting out or thinking about switching your host, please go with a self-hosted WordPress site hosted by Bluehost. I paid for a 36 month subscription up front which included site hosting, domain registration and site security. For me, paying upfront was just easier and one less thing I have to remember a year from now; you don’t have to do this.

Convertkit $29.00 a month – ConvertKit is my e-mail service provider; it allows me to easily collect leads, embed subscription forms into my posts, and send pretty e-mails to my readers.  I’m partial to ConvertKit because I live in Boise (they are here!), but honestly, they are the best in the business and you’ll find that most well-known, successful bloggers use ConvertKit.

Studio Mommy Theme $45.00 – I knew from research that I wanted a blog “theme” that wasn’t free. I learned that a paid theme looks professional and provides more freedom to be creative and monetize.  I’m forever thankful that I found Studio Mommy on Etsy; her work is gorgeous and her customer service is banging! If you’re ever in need of a theme you should look at her work. Wow, just wow.

BellBerry Lane Logo $147.00 – So, I actually ended up with 2 different logos that were hand created by Kristin from Bellberry Lane.  When my blog was revolving around travel she had created an adorable travel related logo, then I asked her to change it for me to represent my transition to mentoring and blogging.

Canva $119.40 – Canva is another service I paid for the entire year upfront.  It was easier, and I think I saved some money that way.  Canva is another “must have” in my book.  It’s the SIMPLEST way of making Pinterest optimized images and graphics for your blog post.  If your computer or photograph challenged like me, Canva is your answer.

Haute Stock Photo Membership $99/Quarterly –  This is where I grab GORGEOUS, feminine stock photos!  I’m absolutely ga-ga, drool worthy, crazy in love with their pictures and stock photo options and the website is organized by color and theme. Since becoming a member my Pinterest followers have increased by over 1,400 with over 27,000 monthly viewers.

Earn, Grow, Learn Blogging Course $73.50 – I took this course because I’m a gigantic fan girl of Tracie Richmond-Fobes from Penny Pinchin Mom.  She’s been blogging since 2009 and has had incredible success!  If you spend any time in quality Facebook Groups you’ll see her around providing incredible advice and guidance to other bloggers.

Elite Blogging Academy $797.00 – Crazy, I know. Worth it? Absolutely.  EBA is intense, and I’m so excited to work through it.  Ruth Soukup from Living Well Spending Less is a blogging genius and this is her course.  EBA is a well-known course for serious bloggers looking to take their blogging business to a completely new level.  I was ready. So I jumped.  I’ll keep you posted how it goes! If EBA is a course you’re interested In I highly recommend getting on the waiting list now!

Income:

Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing taught me how to use affiliate marketing in my blog.  In the last 18 months I’ve never had a month that I didn’t make passive income, even when I was absent from blogging or posting to social media.  This income came from offering links to courses such as Become a Pinterest VA Today and through vendor sites such as ShareASale and Flexoffers.  I also earn a hefty affiliate income from sharing products and services I swear by like my e-mail subscription service, Convertkit.

Join my FREE Facebook Blogger Hangout Group

I’d love to hear if you have started a blog and took a break! What has worked? What hasn’t? 

My Must Have Blogging Resource List: 
Bluehost
Convertkit
Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing
Become a Pinterest VA Today 

Read more about happiness, success and blogging here! 
Read more about FREE airfare and my frugal travel adventures here! 

Together, we can power through anything!

XO,

Serena

Start your OWN blog! It’s never too late!