blogiversary Archives - My Inner Shakti

Nine Lessons from Nine Years of Blogging

Happy 9th birthday to My Inner Shakti!

I can’t believe I started blogging nine years ago! I remember it like it was yesterday.

Even though blogging has changed completely since 2011, I still love it just the same. I foresee myself keeping up with my little corner of the internet for another 9+ years at least. Mainly because y’all would miss me! 😉

I thought I would share the nine biggest lessons I’ve learned from blogging to help celebrate this momentous occasion! And of course, lots of chocolate will be consumed today as well!

In no particular order…

Don’t focus on other people – what they think, what they might say, etc. When it comes to things like this, it’s more about them anyways!
If you feel a strong pull to share your creativity (whatever that looks like) with the world, do it…NOW! When it comes to blogging, there’s honestly no time like the present. And trust me when I say, once you get started, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do so much earlier.
Don’t focus on the numbers too much. They should never be your driving force. Those who are meant to find you will do so when they are meant to find you.
You passion/creative outlet doesn’t have to turn into a side hustle or your full-time job. Sometimes it’s better to let a hobby stay a hobby.
Your blog will grow and change as your life grows and changes. That’s ok. I started out mainly writing about my healthy living journey. I now mostly write about motherhood. Not because I don’t love healthy living type stuff, but because being a mom is front and center right now. That’s also where a lot of my creativity and ideas are. So that’s what I write about. It’s a lot simpler than we make it, people!
IRL > online life. Every now and then, forget about your blog, your IG page, and social media in general and live your life. Don’t write/share about it either. Let IRL stay IRL!
Don’t ever compare your journey to anyone else’s. Creativity is unique to each of us. There’s no use in comparing, so just keep doing your thing!
Use whatever your thing is to connect with like minded people. It’s WAY more fun that way!
If something truly brings you joy, find a way to keep it in your life. I connected with so many bloggers early on who I LOVED. Sadly, most of them no longer blog. I know time become scarcer as we get older, but I truly believe that the things we love always deserve a place in our lives. Find a way to keep going!

And that’s all she wrote, folks!

I know I say this a lot, but THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for making time to visit this little space of mine. Every single interaction means the world to me! MIS would be nothing without youuuuuuu!

Lots of love!

MIS Turns 8!

written by Parita Leave a Comment

I cannot believe this little blog of mine is 8 years old today! Insanity!

I literally created MIS the same night I had a conversation with one of my best friends about how much I loved reading healthy living blogs and had the itch to start my own. She suggested I just do it, so I hung up the phone, finished cleaning, and Googled ‘how to start a blog.’ Within an hour, MIS was born!

This is pretty indicative of how I work. If I really put my mind to something, it’s going to happen one way or another. Also, it’s probably worth mentioning that I’m very much a ‘get it to 80% and take it from there’ vs. a ‘everything has to be perfect before I start’ kind of person. Speaking of…when I first launched MIS, it had a brown background and itty bitty font. You live and you learn!

Anyways, I’ve had big and small goals/visions for this little space of mine from the very beginning. Some I’ve accomplished, some I’m still working on, and some have changed completely. The one thing that remains the same is that I will always be true to who I am here. Anyone who reads my blog will get the most authentic and real version of me.

I have no idea what the next year has in store for MIS, but as long as it continues to include ‘meeting’ really cool people and getting to share my everyday stories and thoughts with people who want to connect, it’s going to be a great one!

THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for all the support and love over the years! Means more than you’ll ever know. 🙂

Here’s to year 9…

This is 34 + This is 7

written by Parita 12 Comments

I turned 34 yesterday. Those who know me well know birthdays aren’t my thing. But this one? This one was special for a couple of reasons – 1. it’s my first as a mom and 2. it marks the beginning of my journey into my mid-thirties.

So what does 34 look like? Well, see below!

This is 34…

Lots of loving and thoughtful messages from my favorite people!

Date night with the hubs followed by promptly falling asleep couch as soon as we got home.

Brunch with the family where Kaiden stole the show with his cuteness.

A fun lunch with my awesome coworkers where we chatted over delicious Mediterranean food.

This is Us, slice of birthday cake, and a few tears!

An early bedtime because I know an early wake up call is inevitable. But hey, at least my human alarm clock loves me and is super adorable. 🙂

34 is going to be great. I feel it in my bones!

This is 7…

MIS turned seven this past Sunday. Can you believe it?! So much of my life ‘exists’ in this space. It’s kind of incredible.

Year seven brings with it some exciting news. I finally figured out a vision of sorts for MIS. After thinking long and hard this past weekend, I determined that MIS fits in the motherhood lifestyle blog niche. The topics I write about will continue to include things like health/fitness, quick recipes, personal development, marriage, etc., except now they’ll have a slight motherhood flair to them and a voice that’s as real and vulnerable as they come.

For this space, year seven is going to be all about honesty, humor, adventure, story telling, courage, and FUN!

For those who have followed my journey from the beginning, THANK YOU! And for those who are new around here, WELCOME!

Let’s make year seven the best one yet!

My Inner Shakti Turns 5!

written by Parita 24 Comments

My Inner Shakti turned 5 yesterday! FIVE!

You guys, if MIS was a kid, it would be going to kindergarten this year. Ummm…what!?

When I first started blogging, I never imagined I’d still be at it five years later. But here I am!

A common question I get when people learn that I have a blog is “why do you do it?” At the end of day, it boils down to the fact that this space gives me SO MUCH joy! From the community, to the comment/email conversations, to the friendships I have made over the years, to the opportunities, to the simple fact that this little corner of the internet is all mine, My Inner Shakti fills my heart with pure joy! I absolutely cannot imagine my life without it in some form or fashion.

And five years of blogging means that so many important thoughts, memories, and occasions “live” in this virtual space. It blows me away that everything from our engagement to my sister’s engagement (and all the in between “stuff”) is documented here!

While most of the above would be possible with no readers/no engagement, it would also be no fun! So whether you’ve been with me from the early days (my very first post!) or are a new reader, THANK YOU!!! You all are a HUGE part of why MIS brings me so much freaking happiness!

So with that, be sure to eat some chocolate today in honor of MIS’ birthday…or a lot…whatever! 🙂

My Inner Shakti Turns 4 + Snapshots

written by Parita 14 Comments

Happy 4th birthday to my blog!

How has it been four years since this post? CRAZY!

When I first started blogging, I had absolutely no idea this little space on the internet would bring me so much joy. I knew My Inner Shakti would be the creative outlet I needed to ramble on and on about the things that interest me. However, I never thought about the opportunities it would afford me. And I most certainly never thought about all the amazing people it would bring into my life from all over the world.

Thank YOU for everything! Every single comment, social media interaction, email, etc. brings a smile to my face and fills my heart with gratitude. As cheesy as that sounds, it’s the truth. Lots of love to each and every one of you! I hope our internet friendship continues for years to come!

Snapshots

Not sure why this seemed fitting for today, but I thought I would share some snapshots from my Tuesday. Perhaps it’s because sometimes I feel like I only stick to topic blogging and don’t really share much from my everyday life. Perhaps it’s because I love it when bloggers share the bits and pieces of their lives that resemble my own and I want to do the same.

Anyway, here are some pictures from a regular old Tuesday in the My Inner Shakti household.

I definitely reset my alarm twice this morning! Thank goodness I live walking distance from the office.

I’m going to share more about the Deliver Lean meal plan service I’m trying out this week in a much more detailed blog post. In the meantime, let me say this – the meals are so delicious and so filling. More to come!

I decided to use the first 30 minutes of my lunch hour a little differently today. Instead of going home, making lunch, and watching TV, I decided to go for a walk! This will likely become a regular thing.

The last 30 minutes of my lunch hour were spent eating this delicious salad, drinking this juice (it was surprisingly refreshing), and browsing the internet a bit.

My new favorite pants (the Sloan fit) from Banana Republic were delivered today. More to come on these soon because they are amazing and I think everyone should at least try them on.

Vishnu and I walked over to the new Whole Foods before dinner (this could be trouble!). I’ve been wanting to check it out ever since it opened on January 14th, and we finally got around to making the short trek over. You guys, it’s such a beautiful store! My two favorite things about it are the coffee bar and the hot foods bar – sooo many options!

Well, that pretty much sums up my day. Nothing glamorous but just the way I like it!