Welcome to Phase Five, I am so stoked that you are actually here! Keep reading to the end for a chance to win a little welcome surprise ;)
I have been procrastinating writing this blog for over a year. During that year, I let the fear of rejection and judgement stop me from starting something I felt, and still feel, so compelled to do. I fed myself any and every excuse I could to remain in my comfort zone: "you're not a writer," "no one would read it," "it's not the right time." I was stuck in this rut, not believing in myself and pretending not to care enough to do the damn thing. That is, until just a couple weeks ago, when I read the welcome post of my high-school best friend, Laura Dolci's inspiring and captivating new travel blog (**link below).
By launching her website, Laura unknowingly did for me one of the most valuable things a friend can do, she called me out on my bullsh*t. The very existence of her blog proved to me that my excuses were just that, excuses. So I shoveled that pile of useless reasons why not into my personal f*ck-it bucket, and I did the hard thing: I started. After almost two weeks of working on a website to avoid actually facing my words on paper, here I am sharing my very first post with you. It's been a long time coming, and I can't wait to see what happens.
Now, with all that mushy "how it came to be" stuff out of the way, here are the answers to 5 questions you might have!
1. What does Phase Five mean?
I read somewhere that human life can be broken down into 7 stages: infancy, early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, middle adulthood and old age. As I tremble at the prospect of beginning my fourth and final year of university, I'm embarking on the daunting, yet exciting journey that is the fifth phase: Early Adulthood.
2. What should I expect from Phase Five?
This is such an important question, one that was stressed in every article I read about writing your first blog post, and for good reason. Phase Five is, most simply put, a lifestyle blog. I have created five categories of posts geared towards giving you tangible advice and tips on navigating phase five, or whatever stage of life you are in, through either sharing my experiences or compiling research I've done on a given topic into a single blog post.
Health, Beauty, & Wellness: mental and physical health, food, fitness, self-care, clothing, skincare, makeup, etc..
School & Work: planning for the future, finances, studying, applying to schools and/or jobs, scheduling, time management, interviewing, etc..
Relationship: romantic relationships, long distance, date ideas, living and traveling with your significant other, etc..
Travel: travel stories, planning travel, saving for travel, booking cheap travel, study abroad, etc..
Social Life and Society: navigating a beneficial social life, communication information, communication techniques, world events, etc..
3. Who are you?
My name is Sierra Dann and I am a young, "extroverted introvert" in her twenties who's obsessed with theatre, the outdoors, food, and - most of all - traveling.
I was born and raised in Maine and live there when I'm not attending a small university in Ohio where I major in Theatre and Communication (glamorous, right?). I'm the youngest of three girls, and let's be honest, I'm definitely the favorite of my parents. My family doesn't always get along, like most families, but I wouldn't be who I am without them.
I'm also lucky to have some insanely cute pets, many really incredible friends, and a ridiculously thoughtful and supportive boyfriend, all of whom I'm sure will make appearances throughout my posts! For now, here are some photos of just a few:
4. How can I get involved?
I would really love it if you reached out to me by either filling out the form on my Connect page or through messaging me on my social media accounts, also linked on the Connect page! Please don't be afraid to reach out, I want to know who you are and what you'd like to see on Phase Five!
5. When should I check back for more posts?
My hope is that I will be posting at least once a week, my regular posts going live on Sundays! You can subscribe to get notifications sent to your email here. I am also active on social media, Instagram in particular, so I will be posting updates on new blogs, interactive stories/posts to get to know you, and will continue to post more personal "day-to-day" content. Click this link to follow me on Instagram (@sierradann) and stay up to date!
If you're still here, thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to read this, you have no idea how much it means to me. To say thank you, I want to offer you the chance to win a little welcome surprise! If you go to my homepage, scroll down to "subscribe form", and fill out the two questions (takes less than 30 seconds), your next coffee outing could be on me*!
Well, thats pretty much it! Thank you so much again, and don't forget to subscribe and follow me on Instagram so you don't miss out on anything Phase Five!
See you soon,
Sierra
Links and Notes
**Travel blog by Laura Dolci: Laura Travels
*In the form of a gift card of your choice to Starbucks or Dunkin'
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