Newberry County, South Carolina, USA
Blogging can be a way to free yourself from a stressful life.
But most bloggers quit before reaching their dreams.
I want to help you address common reasons for quitting to overcome these obstacles.
Blogging is simple. But blogging is incredibly uncomfortable sometimes because you need to face fears to keep doing the simple things that lead to a professional blogging career.
Doing simple things for a long time feels quite overwhelming in spots when nothing seems to be happening, traffic and income wise. For example, imagine yourself writing and publishing 1-2 detailed blog posts weekly for a year. However, your traffic only increases slightly and your blogging income seems non-existent. Frustrated, this is the point where most bloggers quit. People told me to be patient. I could not understand patience because fear called the shots in my mind during those trying blogging days.
I wanted to quit blogging a few times during my 15 year career. Since I value my freedom over my fears I kept going. But persisting through thick and thin feels highly uncomfortable in moments because all manner of fear arises in the mind, like terror, anger, rage and utter hopelessness.
Be with these emotions. Feel them. Proceed.
Check out these common reasons for quitting a blog. Pinpoint and release to foster stronger blogging persistence.
Do you see yourself after reading any of these reasons?
1: Money Chasing
Money chasers quit for this simple reason: money never shows up quickly so they lose their motivator and quit.
Money shows up after you spend a long time:
- practicing
- creating
- connecting
During this long stretch of time, you need something other than money to drive you from within.
Blog for freedom. Blog for fun. Cultivate inner drivers for a limitless source of motivation.
If the motivator comes from within you will never quit blogging unless you cease having fun because the source of blogging inspiration flows from within your being, continually.
2: Popularity Chasing
Fame seekers quit fast because fame never arrives quickly.
Famous bloggers work for a long time before becoming popular.
Love and accept yourself. Stop looking for approval. Being popular does not make you:
- happy
- love yourself
- accept yourself
I once read of an agent to some of the most popular singers of all time. He remarked how many of these iconic entertainers went into rehab within a week of playing live for 100,000 people for the first time. The ego imagined that being popular enough to play for 100,000 people would make these icons love themselves, accept themselves, feel happy and be at peace. But since happiness, peace and self-love comes from within via a mental choice, each singer felt depressed and began abusing drugs or alcohol.
Blog to have fun helping people. Stop blogging to get people to like you, to know you or to worship you.
Fame, popularity and fortune may come through blogging after you commit for a long time but at that point these weak worldly drivers will do little for you. The blogging work will be the reward; fame will not phase you because being known by many people doesn’t change the fact that you blog predominantly for the love of blogging. Also, if you’re famous…..so what? Being known by many people is valued in the insane world but means nothing other than people being aware of your presence. Why would you get excited about that or really want it?
3: No Smart Strategy
Do you remember the days of copy-pasting your latest blog post to 300 Facebook Groups?
I do.
I was one of the morons who tried this unintelligent approach to marketing my blog. Newsflash; it does not work.
Bloggers often quit because they do not follow a smart blogging strategy. After failing for a bit they quit.
Follow professional bloggers. Learn from pros what works. More importantly, let pros teach you what does not work.
Follow a proven blogging strategy for a long time. Succeed.
Pros point you in the direction of a pro blogging career. Listen to them. Tune out everyone else. Thrive.
4: Lone Wolf Syndrome
Bloggers who go solo usually quit because connected bloggers dominate their niches.
Imagine publishing a blog post as a lone wolf blogger. Nobody sees the post because you have no blogging friends. But when a connected blogger who engages in genuine outreach publishes a blog post their large, loyal friend network:
- tweets the blog post to their large following
- shares the blog post on Facebook for their large friend network
- links to the blog post via their latest post for their big readership
- mentions the blog post via video for their viewership
- mentions the blog post via podcast for their listeners
Get connected. Engage in genuine blogger outreach. Keep blogging with the support of your blogger friend network.
A team works better than your singular efforts. Visionary entrepreneurs build companies for this reason.
Build your blogger network. Keep blogging through the support of your blogging buddies.
5: Publish Posts on Too Many Topics
The world loves specialists.
The world does not love generalists.
Some multi-niche bloggers experience modest success but no human being has figured out how to do 2 things better than humans who give all of their professional attention and energy to doing 1 thing. Where your attention and energy goes, grows.
Multi-topic bloggers often quit because single niche bloggers dominate each of their niches. Experts become credible leaders. Generalists almost always fail and quit because it is highly difficult to be seen as being credible in 2 or more niches when you already have single niche experts dominating the niche.
The ego routinely makes excuses for multi-niche blogging. Perhaps you will experience some success with 2 niches but increased success will flow to you if you specialize in one niche.
6: Opportunity Allergies
Bloggers quit for being allergic to opportunities.
For example, someone may ask you to appear on their podcast. But you turn down their offer for some fear in your mind, masked by an ego excuse. Even though increased exposure, traffic and potential profits would flow through the podcast interview you reject this success because you mind developed an opportunity allergy.
Seize and use opportunities to help people daily. Publish a blog post. Publish genuine comments on 5 blogs. Agree to an interview request. Avoid quitting by seizing and using opportunities to succeed.
7: Changing Strategies
Changing blogging strategies promotes failure and quitting because no tactic has a chance to bear fruit if you keep digging up its seeds.
Imagine planting a seed for an apple tree today. But next week you impatiently dig up the seed because the seed did not grow into a tree in one week. Bloggers who change strategies every few days or every few weeks are just like someone digs up apple seeds every few days or every few weeks.
Stick to one strategy that:
- appeals to your readers
- feels fun to execute
Be patient. Good things take time and generous service. Success finds bloggers who do one thing well.
8: Forget to Keep it Simple
Blogging is simple.
Create helpful content that solves a core reader problem. Bond with bloggers in your niche by helping them. Monetize through multiple income streams. This is blogging.
But most bloggers struggle, fail and quit by adding complex, difficult strategies to the simplicity of blogging. Complex strategies lead to blogging burnout. Burned out bloggers quit.
Keep blogging simple. Solve reader problems. Build relationships with fellow bloggers. Monetize through multiple income streams. Even though bloggers need to develop skills within each core task none of these skills are complex. Anyone reading this post can write a blog comment. Anyone reading this post can slowly, patiently and persistently write a 5,000 word eBook spanning 2-3 months. Fear in your mind may disagree, but this is why you need to train your mind.
9: No Mind Training
I have blogged for 15 years.
Sans mind-training, I may have blogged for 15 minutes.
Human being people are carefully, deliberately conditioned by the world NOT to train their mind because the world depends on:
- a victim mentality
- weak minds
- fear
to operate smoothly. If you doubt this concept, turn on the news. Your welcome.
Bloggers usually quit due to their weak-mindedness. Weak-minded bloggers quit the moment discomfort arises in their mind. Fear scares people into quitting any venture quickly. Life feels terrifying outside of their comfort zone. Being weak-minded means you see the illusion of fear, feel scared and stop blogging, being virtually handcuffed by circumstances, being victimized solely in your own mind.
Strong-minded bloggers exit their comfort zone frequently to generously create, connect and monetize for a long time…..no matter what.
Train your mind. Meditate. Follow A Course in Miracles. Read it. Apply the lessons. Do yoga. Pray from an intent of love and trust. Do what works for you. Become strong-minded. Persist until you succeed.
10: General Delusion
Bloggers quit because in their delusion they believe blogging to be easy.
Most believe money flows in after publishing a few blog posts.
But reality slaps these individuals upside the blogging head. Blogging involves developing skills through patient practice. Deluded bloggers either quit on learning this truth or develop the skills needed to succeed.
Blogging is simple but feels highly uncomfortable sometimes. Few humans feel comfortable with creating content and building connections spanning years of their lives. Hug the discomfort. Be realistic. Accept the long term nature of blogging.
Conclusion
Own any reasons above from your personal blogging experience. Look at yourself in the mirror.
Follow the solutions subscribed.
Keep blogging.
Freedom awaits bloggers who see the journey through.
