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Psst hey! You there! You may be one of my first readers. Thank you, thank you, thank you for coming here to follow my journey from the very beginning! In an effort to not disappoint you (or myself), I am 100% committed to blog consistently from now on, and I know this title is the main reason I have the confidence to say that, this time, things will go differently.
Launching a blog has long been a dream of mine I’ve tried to start my personal blog like five times without success. Believe me, this is something that I wanted sooo bad, that in the process I started to feel overwhelmed because I put so much pressure on myself, and ended up giving up after a couple of weeks.
So, after giving myself a break from blogging and choosing to dedicate my time to myself, my family, and pursuing my passions, I’ve shifted my perspective on my business and blogging in general. So, now I can safely say that my previous failed attempts have allowed me to clearly see the mistakes that I made. And after tons of trials, I can definitely agree with this great quote from Thomas Edison: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
So here are the reasons I failed before when trying to build a successful and sustainable blog:
I had tried blogging for my online shop (Birdesign), and I quickly got bored because I was limiting myself to blogging only about my shop. I posted often about new products, promotions, monthly freebies, and that was all. I was bored. I wasn’t ever excited about doing a new blog post because it was nothing more than pictures of the products over and over again. Yawn! And perhaps I was occasionally offering templates for photographers, but I wasn’t excited to blog only about photography. I needed to integrate other topics that impassioned me most. Topics like graphic design, marketing, and entrepreneurship. I was afraid to share those topics on that blog and afraid that my followers wouldn’t be interested.
I wanted to blog about my family, my passions, and the things that I love most, but I was afraid of sharing things about myself without getting feedback. I posted a couple of personal posts here and there and immediately regretted it because I felt vulnerable, maybe because I thought I was sharing it in the wrong place. I thought my customers didn’t care about me, or my personal life, and that my readers just wanted to know about my products and offerings. Now I can see that I wasn’t consistent when sharing personal content. So it was impossible to engage and connect with my customers in the long run because I didn’t allow them the opportunity to get to know me better.
In an attempt to fulfill my desire to blog about my family, I created a personal blog. I can tell you that I launched almost 3 personal blogs, one after the other. I purchased the domain, set up the blog, published a couple of posts, and then I got stuck when I realized I didn’t have enough time to blog on a daily basis because I was managing a business at the same time. Obviously, my company’s needs felt more urgent since I needed to pay my bills, so I made a habit of neglecting my blogs. Now I understand that I can mix both my business and personal topics, because both are relevant to my customers. And it’s a much more enjoyable experience for me! Win-win!
Yep! I fell into the trap of thinking I should be sharing DIY projects, Father’s Day Gift Guides, and easy to make recipes, all without success. I love seeing DIY projects on Pinterest! Only, I never seemed able to make them a reality even when I loved them so much. I’m not the best at creating gift guides for products I haven’t used before – I felt it wasn’t authentic. And I’m not good at cooking, so sharing recipes didn’t feel like me. My plan now is to share only things I’m obsessed with, those topics that excite me and live in my head day and night. Trying to cover topics I’m not passionate about is no longer a part of my game plan.
No clear plans, no strategies, no big picture. I was blogging to fill a hole and a personal need. I didn’t have a blogging schedule or a goal I wanted to achieve with my blog. Barely a feeling of purpose to accomplish something to better the world and my readers. Now I know that I want to share content with my readers that will nurture their businesses, helps them to struggle less in their jobs, and more feel happier by achieving their dream goals. Now I have a big picture, plan, and strategy, and above all, I’ve been clarifying myself and my purpose, so that when I have overwhelming days, I can see my goal and keep going without a feeling of doubt.
I don’t have so much to add here, other than stressing the importance of consistency. I didn’t have an idea of the importance of a blog; I was more focused on creating products, and making sales and creating campaigns, that I forgot the importance of serving my readers with valuable content. I got burnt out from just creating products to bring in more clients in an effort to meet my income goals. And the truth is that blogging consistently will bring you readers, loyal followers, and lifetime clients in the long run. So it looks like blogging is a very good investment when running an online business, too.
I gave up quickly because in a few short weeks I was disappointed that I didn’t have readers, followers, and comments on my posts. Now I understand that if I would have just kept up the blogging consistently from the very first post, I would have an established blog by now, I’m sure. Building an audience as well as a reputation in your niche, and showing up on search engines takes time. But practicing patience, and believing in yourself and your work will pay off in the long run, and is totally worth it.
Oh, I didn’t just compare myself with any blogger. I was comparing myself with people who had been blogging for several years! I was expecting to be where they were from the very start, and to engage the same audiences they did. What I didn’t know then that I do now, is that the secret to being successful was just ME! After years of healing and personal growth, I’m beginning to understand and embrace this truth, and now I’m ready to show up in front of the world as the unique person I am, which includes my struggles and weaknesses. Scratch that! Especially because of my struggles and weaknesses, because even those make me unique and allow me to connect and create a supportive community.
Harsh fact here! For years I thought I wasn’t enough to share deeply and pour myself into a blog. Who is going to read it? What if they don’t like me? What if they get bored? What if my content isn’t good enough? A lot of “what if” questions filled my head for years until I reached a breaking point. One day I stopped to think over my personal story, my past, and who I am now. After some much-needed soul searching, I finally realized I’m unique and valuable. Now I know my value, and I want to share it with others. This isn’t a desire that’s driven by pride or ego., My desire and personal mission are to help others by providing the tools they need, and that I’ve been diving into for years.
Are you still there? I want to let you know that this is only a piece of my heart and that if you are struggling with blogging, you are not alone. I know that this time around blogging will be a game changer in my business and my life, and I truly hope to see you here as my reader for a long time to come. Thank you for reading my first post. You’ll catch me here very often, and I hope to become a source of inspiration for you.
What are you struggling with while blogging? What are your readers interested in? Comment and share your website’s blog below. I’m so excited to learn about you and your experiences as a blogger!
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