Well hello to you my reader chums! I cannot believe I'm typing these words and today is 10 years since I started this blog. I never thought as a sixteen-year-old that ten years later, I would still be typing away my thoughts on my website. It's an incredible milestone and I'm sitting in awe by myself that I've been able to commit to this for a decade.

Blogging has certainly changed over the course of a decade and I have too (no doubt) I've definitely learnt many things in that time about myself, about blogging and my writing journey. My writing has changed exceptionally and I've actually followed my dream of becoming a writer something I always wanted. Take a look at my first-ever blog post - I was too cute and I can see how passionate I was from day one.

Today, I wanted to share a bit of a reflection post on everything I've learnt about blogging and writing to honour ten years of Della Loves Nutella - here's to ten years more! 

I am a writer

It has taken me years to actually introduce myself as a writer, which may seem weird. I always thought I couldn't say I was a writer until I had my books published or got my name in a big publication. However, I've learnt, to be a writer, all you need to do is write and I should own that. I've always aspired to write and spend my life writing, and it's exactly what I've done. I've spent the past decade documenting my life, experiences and thoughts on this blog. And, I've spent nearly 8 years developing my craft in marketing, working in that industry in roles, heavily involving writing and building up a career as a freelance writer. I've written 5 books and started a 6th. 

Writing is a part of my soul and it makes me the happiest. I love how this past decade I've proved to myself that I am a writer and I now own that sentence. My name is Della and I am a writer. I'm excited to see how much I develop in my writing over the next ten years.

Writing is about passion

Keeping a blog for 10 years certainly has had its hard moments with writer's block, being dissuaded by statistics and getting lost in the blogging community. But the main thing I learnt through all of that is writing is about passion. It's about expressing yourself and your thoughts through words, in spite of the topic. The best articles I've written on my blog have been from the heart and about personal experiences. They've been an opportunity for me to share what I've learnt in the world, in the hope it would help someone else. 

I've undoubtedly enjoyed the times when blogging meant exciting events, brand deals and freebies, but for me, I got the most out of blogging when it was me and my words, sharing my passion on my little internet home.

You'll always find your people

This goes for online and offline. When I started this blog, I was a lot and confused teenager, trying to figure out who I was and what I wanted out of life. I had big ambitions and things I knew about myself, but unsure of the direction to go. And ten years later, I've learnt how you'll always find the right people for you. You're not too weird or too much of an outcast to meet the people for you, whether that's friends or a relationship. The connections I've met through the years have changed immensely as I have grown but as I've come into myself, I've gravitated towards the people who match my energy and grow with me.

Within the blogging community, it's something I'm lucky enough to also have found because many bloggers have similar interests and passions for writing, and are supportive of my blog. It has been a pleasure to meet and talk to people over the years of blogging, with the many blogging tags (hello throwbacks), Twitter chats and collabs. Most of these were in the early stages of this blog but I'll never forget them.

The internet isn't what it's cracked up to be

Don't get me wrong, I'm forever grateful for the wonders of technology and having this blog online in the first place, but, for me especially as a teenager, the internet wasn't always a positive space. I started this blog at sixteen and at the same time I got a Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr account and this was before everything was monitored or people understood the complexities of social media. It was also before everything was exceptionally picture-perfect and false, the way we know Instagram to be today. And although it wasn't as false, it was still very detrimental. The 'like' function on Instagram and Facebook even didn't do wonders for my mental health as an impressionable teenager and I can't even imagine what kids and teens go through today.

This is why I say the internet isn't all it's cracked up to be because even though it can be positive, its fakeness, creates a false illusion for many people, and that illusion pushes people to aspire for something that isn't real. It gives people fake hopes and dreams for a perfect life. Life isn't perfect and that's the beauty of it. Life can be messy, life can be spontaneous and that's where the funny stories and random moments occur. It's when we learn the most about ourselves. Getting the perfect photo may be fun but it never captures how powerful a moment in life can be.

Being you is the best thing

I preach this all the time but I believe living authentically is something we all deserve. In the blogging world, there have been many trends and times where a certain topic/product/brand has been spoken about and everyone decides to hop onto it, and that's great, but it takes away from originality. I can remember when I did jump onto trends, it was fun, but it wasn't me. It was me trying to fit in, the same way I did in school - conforming to wider society. I preferred the times when I'd had an idea to write about and rolled with it. The writing was mine then, my ideas, my thoughts and my narrative; it wasn't directed by anyone else.

This principle about being yourself is very overused as a term but one of the most important pieces of advice we can listen to. Living authentically means you'll attract the right energy for you; that means with relationships, hobbies, career and even how you feel about yourself. Life feels calmer when you're not living for someone else, but yourself. 

Leaving writing to rest is key

Writing for ten years consecutively means I've learnt a lot of writing tips to improve my writing and one of the best ones is leaving the writing to rest. When I first started this blog, I had no idea what I was doing and wrote a blog, and then pressed publish. As time went on and my writing craft developed, I learnt writing and leaving it meant editing was a lot easier - and the finished product was often better. Now (and what I've been doing for many years) is writing a blog post and letting it sit for days or weeks before I go back and edit it, then press the publish button.

To not be afraid of loved ones reading my writing

For years I kept my blog a secret as I was embarrassed about what my family would think about me sharing my writing on the internet and if it was good or not. It's still something today I don't really mention as it started as such a secret project. Although, as I got older and started writing professionally as part of my job, my confidence has grown with sharing my writing with others and being proud of my work. I think with most writers, we are often our own critics, but it's usually better than we believe. I even recently let my partner read one of my fiction novels and he really enjoyed it! It goes to show that you never know how good you are until you put yourself out there.

Read the work out loud

I say this writing tip to everyone and it may sound obvious but it has done wonders with improving my writing. After letting the work sit for a while, I edit by reading the work out loud as it helps me ensure it's in the right tense, the grammar is correct and it sounds good. I sometimes do this multiple times to be sure it is perfect.

Hobbies are incredibly important

This blog has given me a focus for the past ten years as it's always something I went back to; it has always been part of my routine and I've loved every minute of it. It showed me how important it is to have a hobby you're committed to and an opportunity where you can be passionate about something. Della Loves Nutella started out as I wanted an online journal and it's turned into an online space documenting my adventures, and sharing my advice wisdom and growth from a teenager to an adult. It shows with the right courage, commitment and love for a hobby, you can make something wonderful which means the world.

I am loved

Starting a blog as a depressed and lost teenager, I never thought I would be in a position where I felt truly loved and truly happy. Obviously, life is up and down and I'm very much working on my self-love journey. However, at the age of 26, I can say, I'm feeling content. I love myself, I love the person I've grown into. I love how I'm still growing and learning every day, and how I'm working towards my different goals and passions. I love my partner, and I love the friends and family that surround me. I love how I've created a life of travelling, incredible memories and living spontaneously. I love how I've overcome my fears and continue to push myself out of my comfort zone. I love how I can be myself freely and live my life how I've always dreamt of.

I hope you enjoyed this post. When did you start reading my blog?

Thank you for reading <3