12 Things I’ve learned Since I started Blogging
I started blogging a few years ago just for fun. I often wrote about things that I was interested in, and would blog when I had some spare time. Fast forward to today where blogging has become a third job for me (behind recruiting and running a photography business). Making time to blog is now more important than ever since my time is very limited because of my 13.5 month son. I still blog about things that interest me but now I blog about life experiences and lessons learned in life as well as the occasional personal posts on my family and home life. I have found that blogging is both rewarding and draining. How can it be both you ask? It’s rewarding to hear that I am helping people. My advice and lessons learned are positively affecting other people. It’s draining because it’s time consuming and requires me to dig into experiences and lessons I’d rather not divulge to other people or think about anymore. At the end of the day, it’s helping people that really makes it worth it. Those people are my motivation and why I make it a point each day to conduct research on my next blog post.
Here are 12 things I have learned since starting my blog:
1. Don’t worry what others think about your blog. Be brave, be fearless and write from the heart.
The best writers are those who write knowing others may criticize them yet do it anyways. I’m a writer, so I know that with that comes criticism, haters, those that judge me and my experiences and although this makes my job hard at times, it’s also my motivation. I learn from them all and improve each day.
2. Don’t hesitate to blog about controversial topics, just be prepared to defend your stance.
There will always be those people quick to jump down someones throat, but there will also be those who come to your defense and praise you for your bravery.
3. You have the ability to change people’s lives
From my experiences, it is my hope that I can positively influence or help someone else. I hope people can learn from my experiences, my mistakes, my triumphs and everything else I care to share with everyone.
4. Blogging is very time-consuming- it’s sort of like a part time job
I take time to write my blogs and think about what I want to write about for a few days before I actually post it. I do research and try to get my facts spot on before sharing my blog posts with my readers. It takes time and much energy to make an idea a reality in my blog.
5. Pictures are important
Include a picture whenever possible. Take the picture yourself if you can, and have fun with it. There are a ton of aps and software programs to really get your pictures to pop!
6. Earning money for your blog is not easy
Eventually I’d love to be a guest writer for Huffington Post or another credited publisher. If I make money along the way, that’d be great too. There is a lot of other bloggers out there so it takes months and years to really get recognized in the blogger world.
7. There is a lot of competition- learn from them
I don’t hate my competition because I learn from them. Those who have a successful blog are the ones I want to befriend and get to know their keys to success. Our stories may be different, but our motives may be the same.
8. Your blog is not unique, yet it is
Though there are a lot of bloggers out there that may write about similar things, I’ve learned that I cannot compare myself to them. We are all unique in our own way. We have different stories, different ways of relating and presenting to our readers.
9. Listen to your readers, if they have suggestions or ideas you should take it all in
I love when readers comment on my posts or make suggestions on how to improve. A true writer is able to handle criticism and will take what they hear to heart which in turn makes them a stronger writer.
10. Reach out to those who can hep publish your posts on popular websites- don’t be afraid to fail
If you have a dream of being a guest writer for a company such as Huffington Post or Elite Daily, then reach out to them. Don’t be afraid or failure or rejection. The most persistent you are, the more likely you will be to one day get in the door with the company you want.
11. Sometimes you will get writers block- don’t get discouraged when this happens
Writers block does exist. There will be days when I can write and write all day long, but then there will be other days when I just can’t get the job done. That’s normal. Most writers experience this from time to time, so don’t get discouraged.
12. Have fun
Have fun with it! Write about the things you’re passionate about and the things that mean the most to you.It’s so rewarding at the end of the day once your latest blog entry hits the blog.
In closing, I have learned a lot of things since I started blogging. The reality is that I will always be learning more and more each day about blogging because things are always evolving. It’s important to keep up with how things are changing in the blogging world so we don’t get left in the dark hole of the internet.
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