10 Of Your Toughest Blogging Struggles and How to Crush Them

A bag of vomit stared me dead in the eye.

Cambodian child vomit.

The indoor temperature: about 110 degrees F.

We were cramped into a mini van so tightly, sardines laughed at us with envy from their packed tins.

I thought we were auditioning for a clown bus, a circus routine.

At one point the mini-van was packed. Really packed. So packed that I was prepared to behead the driver after he decided to take on 3 more passengers.

They fit. God, I know not how, but they fit.

Brilliant packaging.

Then……the vomit.

Some little Cambodian kid had bad fish. Or was motion sick. Or just wanted to puke for 1,001 different reasons. I felt her. I would have wretched in a moment but I’d likely have been kicked off of the mini van, into the Cambodian rice fields.

I couldn’t believe it. Child vomit. In a tiny Ziploc bag. Hanging from the back of the passenger seat, staring me in the grill, daring me not to hurl.

As you may imagine by now, this is not a current day story. Kelli and I are living the high life in Jimbaran, Bali. We’re house sitting for villa owners, to the tune of 4 months. Or 6 months? Or longer? We will see.

BUT…..arriving to this plush space, this pimped out pad, wasn’t always a smooth ride. We ran into blocks. We faced resistance. We worked like hell – then, worked like fun, then, we played – to manifest all the proven blogging tips you’re picking up from me today.

I am all about Smart Blogging. I could recycle BS tips for you but then, I may as well be handing you a bag of child vomit. Same value.

Nope.

Kelli and I paid some super uncomfortable tuition at times, online and offline, to create this dream life.

Now…..back to the ride……

The Trip…..from Hell…..

 

I want to say it was a 4 hour ride from Sihanoukville to Kampot, Cambodia. Could have been 14 hours for all I knew.

We faced resistance like:

• oft vomiting children
• less than savvy moms who kept feeding vomiting children who continued to rolf because sick kids tend to keep puking until the pipes are clean
• being stuffed with 14 people – or more – in a mini van, along with luggage
• the Cambodian version of Mario Andretti driving like Sebulba from Phantom Menace fame/infamy
• Brutal heat indexes/temperatures inside of and outside of the vehicle

I don’t complain much. Until I complain.

Rest assured, some 3 years after this incident I remember the scene vividly.

But we got through it.

We survived. We made it.

How?

We dived into our fears. Because we wanted to be free, to experience more of Cambodia, more than we were terrified of facing resistance. That was the difference maker. That is THE difference maker, if you study folks who’ve done damn neat things with their lives.

I am no Walter Mitty but I’ve seen a bit of the world. I’ve also had tremendously stimulating experiences including:

• petting three 400 pound tigers in their cage in Thailand
• losing 20 pounds in 2 weeks in India
• suffering through a wicked motorbike accident in Jimbaran
• nearly being swept out to sea in Thailand
• being bitten by a wild man in Nepal
• being coked out (not really) in Peru
• watching lizards walk on water in Costa Rica
• sharing our home with 3 inch long coach roach in Fiji (his name was Freddy. He liked rugby)

If these experiences sound wild to you, rest assured we made some uncomfortable, freeing decisions to live this type of life. Some of the experiences were injected with fear, terror, dread and grief….others, with love, joy, positivity and elation.

In the end though, we struggled to arrive. We didn’t have to; struggle is never necessary, anywhere, expect on an ego (I can do this by myself!) plane.

Since we are human we are prone to struggling, to fighting, to resisting, to forcing, to pushing and to suffering but there are a few smart folks who transcend these struggles, these problems, these blocks – or at least most of them – to cruise through life.

These people are smart.

They study successful folks – inside-out – and do what successes did, to mimic their success.

Thank the lucky stars I wasn’t smart. I couldn’t have branded a rags to modest riches story unless I wore the rags, ya know?

But in the same respect, I could have saved myself some heart ache by admitting my struggles and by asking for advice from folks who’d successfully conquered these blocks.

Facebook and Blogging Tips and Struggles

 

I am no Facebook fan because I prefer to create on my own real estate.

I do however respect the living stuffing out of the network. Ask a question. You’ll get 10 or 20 answers in minutes or in hours.

The other day I decided to ask:

“What is your biggest blogging struggle?”

I decided to tackle each of the struggles, and the solutions to these struggles, in this post.

I also added a few struggles because double figure titled posts of mine get more pop….and oh yeah, we all know the list of blogging struggles seems endless at times.

I know. Goodness knows I’ve been there.

Let’s dive into the problems. The struggles. And the good old solutions.

1: Posts Take Too Long to Publish Struggles

 

I know this struggle hamstrings many talented bloggers.

As for me, I used to take so long to publish a post that I’d sprout a gray, distinctive beard between time of first sentence and time of publish date. I saw fine wines age in front of my eyes. I saw a tortoise born, age and die, during the span between conceiving a blog post and publishing that damn thing.

I know it affects some of you. Because you told me it does.

No worries! Today we’ll save the day – together – by following a practical tip to eradicate this struggle, to smack down this block, and to b*tch slap this form of little, itty bitty resistance, so you can get your posts good and live in as little amount of time as possible. We ain’t rushin here (insert The Americans joke here). But we’d like to get our posts published, and live, and promoted, before the year 3000.

Practical Tip

 

OK here’s the deal. I waited for days, or even weeks, to publish posts. Sure I had all types of excuses. The dog ate my post. The dog urinated on my laptop. The dog vomited up my post, and then, he ate it again (dogs do that sometimes).

But in the end…..the tendency to delay, to wait, to stammer, and to not publish a post for days, or weeks on end…..is:

The Fear of Criticism Masked as Perfectionism.

Ohhh….I hoped nobody else coined that phrase. I betcha they have. Good on them. If it’s yours, claim it. I’ll be happy to spread your word, aight?

The fear of criticism masked as perfectionism is funny. Fear drives your delay. Fear of criticism. I feel the fear of failure also works its way into this all encompassing fear, because you fear being criticized, and you also fear failing, or flopping, by publishing a blog post before it’s “perfect.”

You’ll never get it done. Ever. To perfect levels. So the solution is, the great old, wisdom-infused, practical tip of practical tips is:

Ship.

That’s it.

Ship.

Seth Godin, brilliant marketing mastermind, talks about shipping. Like, publishing books, and posts, and just plain putting out your work for the world to see. Doing so creates a sense of:

• peace
• confidence
• fearlessness
• focus
• calm
• clarity
• inspiration

…..a sense of which, you can’t create while you’re sitting on the sidelines. Either you publish the post or you do not publish the post. No in between exists.

If this fear saddles you, ship within 1 week of starting the post. No exceptions. Don’t allow the fear of criticism – or the fear of failure – worm its way into your sweet garden of the mind. Don’t do it.

Based on the average human life span – as well as the average length of a post – 1 week is reasonable. 1 week gives you a bit too much legroom I think, but I don’t want you to run away from blogging, with your WP backoffice tucked between your legs.

I want to inspire you and more importantly, I want you to inspire yourself. Get on it. Publish your post. Don’t wait. Feel the fear of criticism, and the fear of failure, and wallow in your delay.

How Do You Act? How Do You Ship?

 

Make your love of freedom greater than your fear of doing uncomfortable stuff. Publishing a post can be highly uncomfortable, especially when the fear of failure, or the fear of criticism, seems to force you to hesitate, to take your time, and to delay.

Revisit your vision. Do you want to be free through blogging? To retire from your 9-5, to become a pro blogger? Or are you a part-time blogger who wants like hell to earn a full time income through blogging?

My kiddies, that full time income resides on the other side of the “Publish” button. Dwell on your dreams. Dwell on that freeing vision. Feeling freedom bleed through your being will inspire you to finish your post, to kill the fear of criticism, masked as perfectionism, and it’ll get you on the straight and narrow to being a prolific blogging machine.

Struggle beaten down, Rhonda Rousey style. Good job!

2: Publishing Consistency Struggles

 

Oh goodness, do I ever feel your pain!

I remember publishing 1 less than standard (code word: “crappy”) post every 2 weeks a few moons ago. Many years ago. In another era.

I also recall publishing 65 posts a day between 2 blogs.

Yes, 1 day.

Most of the videos and posts were solid, and some were spectacular. Each creation was a building block for the somewhat creative, prolific guy you see today. Be thankful for my “Blogging Like I’m on Cocaine” stretch, for it created something far more helpful than a cyber epidemic.

Anywhoooo……I struggled to find the right consistency for a few minutes. That means, for a freakishly long time. If that term even means anything.

I have seen some well meaning bloggers go through the same bit. Blogging 5 times a day, with each post being less than enthused, and some stating truthful, but perhaps already fleshed out, axioms (think, “The sky is blue.”….it’s been covered before guys).

On the flip side, I’ve seen bloggers from the blogging tips – or any – niche blog as frequently as the US Presidential Election.

To my peeps from around the world, that is every 4 years. Not good. Because if you do something every 4 years, or even, every 3 weeks, your skills in that area will erode. Die. Muerto. Hati Hati. Be careful. Your writing skills are falling dormant. Bye Bye.

The Practical Tip to Combat this Struggle

 

Write 500 to 1,000 to 5,000 words daily or more (this solution will come up again and again, roll your eyes for me….thank you). Go ahead. Do it. You’ll never run out of content, you’ll never run out ideas, and whether you want to publish posts weekly, or daily, you’ll have something fresh, new and inspired to say.

Now….if you’re publishing weekly, it sure helps to publish 2,000 words, or even, 5,000 words or more. Give me something – and give Google something – to chew on. If you publish daily make sure of a few things:

• you’re NOT doing it for the money (most posts will be bland, boring, and will fall flat on their bloggy faces, and that’s always a sad thing, to see a blog post face down in the cyber dirt)
• you are generating genuine, authentic content, with a neat little story or 2 injected into the post, preferably your story, to stand out from the blogging herd
• your energy doesn’t flag and that you don’t lose your mojo by keeping to an ambitious posting schedule…..burnout kills even the most driven, well-intentioned blogger
• if you ask yourself, “does this post freaking ROCK?”, and answer, “Nah, not really,” don’t publish until you’ve created something that knocks your socks off

Does size play a part? As far as length? Or how about girth?

I am talkin’ about……blog post size, blog post word length, and blog post meat, the breadth, the gravitas, if you will, and for those who tuned in to the prior sentence for all of the wrong reasons, you should exercise some more to dissipate those…ummm…energies…..HA!

You may struggle like hell to be consistent because your posts are too much of a project, and it feels like your blogging world is tumbling down all around you, being overwhelmed by your workload……or…..

….you may struggle with consistency because your posts are short, curt pieces, that cover recycled topics, and that are lacking in flavor, and that are boring to write, and you figure, why not just buy a Floridina (Bali orange juice drink) and sit down to watch Tokay geckos eat large insects by the night light?

(If you’re not in Bali, that scenario seems implausible. I get it. So we’ll move on.)

The Other Practical Tip

 

Writing a set number of words each day may feel challenging and/or highly uncomfortable if you’re a new blogger. Or if you’re an established blogger with poor writing habits.

1 little trick helped me blast through my writing blocks.

This little trick inspired me to publish 10 eBooks in 4 months.

That is, to Publish 10 eBooks in 4 Months.

I meant, click this following link to buy my eBook on Amazon: Blogging from Paradise: How I Published 10 eBooks in 4 Months (and How You Can Do It Too)

Yeah, now that you’ve read it and left me a review – terima kasih! – I gotta say, this little trick changed my life. 

I wrote down why I wanted to blog. I tied that reason to being free. I carried the piece of paper with me everywhere until the reason became seared onto my subconscious mind.

Simple, clear, powerful.

Whatcha gonna choose?

“Oh God, I CANNOT possibly write 1,000 words today? Too tired!”

Or….

“Damn I want to live in Bali as a full time, pro blogger more than anything! I want to be free! I’ll write the 1,000 words….no, make that 2,000 words!”

Here’s your great tipping point, the moment when you leave many of your struggle behind: your desire to be free becomes greater than your fear of doing uncomfortable stuff.

Bingo! That’s when things really go into overdrive.

Do that paper trick/tip. Pure gold, pure gold.

No more excuses. Because that Freedom Compass in your pocket is looking you right back in the eye.

3: Post Scheduling Struggles

 

OK, this one is easy.

Schedule all posts for 8 AM EST, American time, if you have an American dominated audience.

Or, unless you publish for vampires…..or night owls….publish posts at 8 AM, your local time, or at 8 AM time wherever your audience resides.

I’m not totally clear on this scheduling struggle, or maybe I’m understand it the wrong way. If you have any other problems related to scheduling, please ask me in the comments, OK?

4: Finding Content Ideas Struggles

 

I’ve seen this issue pop up again and again. Almost like crabgrass. It never seems to go away. Ran out of ideas. Yeah, I hear you. I was idea-short. For about 7 millenia. Or so it seemed. Or maybe it spanned Yoda’s lifespan. A bit shorter time. But still kinda long.

Then one day, a wise, bearded man, who some dubbed “a crazy old wizard”, imparted this advice to me…..

“Use the Force.”

No, it wasn’t Obi Wan Kenobe. Nor was it Alec Guinness (not channeling that effectively, yet).

Some old guy with a beard outside of the local Coco Mart told me this. In Bahasa Indonesian. It was strange. He wore a long flowing robe. But he walked with a Gymer stick. Like Yoda.

This all happened in my dreams. Sorry to burst your Blogging from Paradise bubble. I think I ate a papaya that passed its shelf life, got a fermentation buzz going, and there I was, having delusions of grandeur (C3PO), seeing visions of Jedi Knights offering me dead on blogging advice.

I listened.

I used the Force.

For me…..the Force means……Meditating.

The Practical Solution – A More Elegant Weapon for a More Civilized Age

 

To all of your non Star Wars Nerds, get the hell out of here. Now.

Seriously. Leave.

I am joking. I love you all.

Rephrasing….to all of you people who had a life as a child (kidding, fellow SW Nerds), Obi Wan used a line in Star Wars, circa 1977, when I was 2 years old. Since I was spitting up Cheerios at this time, I had to really dive into Star Wars when I was…..5 years old……back when I was spitting up Life cereal. (HBO did the “play Star Wars 5 times a day” thing in 1980.)

Anyway, Obi Wan handed Luke his father’s light saber, saying:

“Your father’s light saber. This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster; an elegant weapon for a more civilized age. ”

My elegant weapon, for a civilized age, the weapon of a blogging Jedi Knight, is: meditating.

Meditating is the great idea generator.

Here’s how it works. Ideas are unlimited. For…..everything. Blog posts, etc, etc, etc…..we live in abundance.

What happens is, we have what you would call “mental blocks” or limiting beliefs, or low energy ideas. Some cling to mental blocks. Blocks like, “I have no content ideas.”

Meditating, similar to the light saber, gracefully and elegantly slices through the block, the resistance, rendering it useless, destroying it, and dissolving it.

When the block dies, so does the struggle. So does the excuse.

I’ve published:

• 3400 posts to 1 blog
• over 2500 videos (old Youtube accounts and daily motion accounts)
• 1,000 inspirational quotes
• hundreds of articles for clients
• 10 eBooks
• nearing 100 posts on this blog, and we’re talking, full, in-depth, meaty posts, some with some real cajones to them, ya know what I mean?

Meditating.

Meditating.

Meditating.

Meditating is the great truth serum. Sitting quietly, you’ll fear, you’ll worry, you’ll be elated,and you’ll be bored.

You’ll also hear your limiting beliefs, loud and clear, speaking to you, like that obnoxious little annoying kid in the cafeteria, the loud one, the one who blew milk out of his nose, the one you wanted to whip with a wet noodle, the one who agitates you, who annoys you and who pesters you.

Yeah, those limiting beliefs will replay in your mind, over and over, because through meditating, your awareness expands and you’ll hear what’s REALLY going on in your mind.

You’ll listen in to thoughts and feel feelings you hadn’t felt before. Good! Growth. An expanded awareness. Progress.

Your blogging limiting beliefs will arise, the “no ideas one” usually being at the forefront of your mind.

Face it. Embrace it. Sit with it. Release it.

You can write it down on a piece of paper – after the meditation session – burn it over a sink, and then, voila. It’s gone to the ethers. Or you can just listen to the statement the next time your ego spews such pablum, and you can sit, in quiet, until the idea goes away, then, you can just write.

Meditate. Find a quiet spot. Relax your body. Relax your mind. Focus on the breath moving in and out of your nose. When your attention drifts to thoughts, feelings, aches, pains, sensations, or anything other than your breathing, note the object of your attention, and move your focus back to your breathing.

Start with 5 minutes per session. Work up to 30 minutes or longer per session.

Ram Dass wrote a wonderful book explaining meditation, and he shares different ways to meditate.

Download it here:

Journey of Awakening: A Meditator’s Guidebook

Once those idea blocks dissolve through meditating, you’ll have post ideas on tap.

Bonus Tip

 

Read a bunch of blogs. Surround yourself with inspiring ideas.

Become an idea magnet. That one works too. I just shared the meditating tip because it helps you root out so many issues, so many limiting beliefs, related to blogging, which will accelerate your blogging growth.

5: Networking Struggles

 

I used to be a hermit.

A cyber hermit.

A semi-muscular, some may say, guy with “All American” looks hermit (that’s just code for having a square jaw).

I sat in my little cyber hovel. Never reached out. Never promoted other bloggers. Why? Don’t want to give up my precious space. Not relevant anyway. Don’t want to force relationships, right?

Wow…..how UN-abundant can ya get? Pretty non abundant. Ahh…the poverty conscious days.

Thank the lucky stars I put those days behind me. Thing of the past. Now I do things differently.

I connect with pros. I got over my networking fear.

Many struggling bloggers treat networking like it’s visiting the proctologist. Some actually believe spending 60 minutes commenting on relevant blogs and retweeting folks and Facebook sharing and Google Plus sharing folk’s stuff is like getting a colonoscopy.

It’s blog COMMENTING, not a COLONOSCOPY.

OK, now that we’re clear (badabing, I’ll be here all week folks!) I gotta admit, I have seen some bloggers make super star strides in a short amount of time.

Guys like Maxwell Ivey. He has expanded his presence so quickly by being generous. He’s the epitome of being a networking machine.

Get this; Max has lost virtually all of his eyesight. The Blind Blogger proves that you can become a networking champion despite facing one of the more challenging obstacles that a blogger could face.

I know you’re struggling with networking.

Here’s 1 way to cut through your problem.

Get Clear on Your Blog

 

Rewind to early/mid 2014. I threw a Thailand tantrum in Koh Lanta. Yeah, life was good. But it wasn’t. I was full time blogging. Had the appearance of success. And I was prospering on 1 level.

But I lacked clarity. Something was missing.

Of course, CLARITY was missing, but before we get into that one, think about my fears, and my networking struggles, and see if they apply to you.

I was afraid to comment on certain blogs because:

• certain authority bloggers were too successful and powerful to listen to me
• certain bloggers – authority or not – may just criticize the hell out of me for my choice of niche
• certain bloggers would delete my comments or keep ’em in the spam queue because my URL looked spammy (I thought)

I also was terrified to post on certain topics. Imagine that; I was scared to publish posts on topics I needed to cover, to really rock it out online, to be transparent, and to expand my brand awareness.

That led to a fear of networking with the Big Dawgs, and a fear of networking with many folks who I’d been flip flopping on whether or not I wanted to connect with them.

All based on my fears, worries and anxieties, about my blog topic(s) (all 45 of them), and of course, this fear bled through my networking struggles.

Do any of these fears sound familiar to you?

Or are you just plain waiting for your blog to be perfect, before you start networking?

Clarity.

Clarity.

Clarity.

Once you choose to find clarity in what you do, you’ll become a networking machine.

Because all the fears, worries and anxieties consistent with networking dissolve into thin air when you get clear.

How do you get clear?

By spending more time in silence. By choosing to blog about 1 topic.

Those dem 2 steps. None more. Spending time in silence reveals your inner guide. You’ll know what you need to do, clearly, to grow. Cool.

Then, you’ll naturally pick a topic to blog about.

Doctors and Lawyers and Garbage Women

 

How would it feel to see a doctor who was a lawyer, and garbage woman? Not too good I reckon. You may lose confidence when Trapper John MD reaches inside of your mouth with a dirty banana peal hanging from his wrist.

To do one thing damn well, you gotta do ONE thing damn well, and leave the other jobs behind. Doing 1 thing well gives you clarity. Aha! There’s that word again.

You’ll clearly do 1 thing, and that’ll be it, and all the confusion related to trying to do multiple things, well, that energy will die a quick death.

When you do one thing well – say, teaching folks how to retire to a life of island hopping through smart blogging – you’ll feel good about it, and will want to share your craft with the world.

Sharing your craft with the world means networking. And you’ll network like a groupie at a rock concert. You’ll network like a boss. And people will believe in you. You won’t be attempting to be a doctor and lawyer and garbage woman.

You’ll be a blogger who helps folks retire to a life of island hopping. Through sharing smart blogging tips. So naturally, folks will have greater confidence in you, and in what you do.

Get clear. Network!

6: Staying Focused on the End Goal for Each Post Struggles

 

I will now lash myself with a wet noodle. Sorry Sister Raymond (My high school AP Chemistry teacher who facetiously threatened to administer wet noodle lashings).

I just responded to comments. On my blog. Latest post is getting some traction.

Now, back to this post.

Why am I writing it? Oh yeah, to address your blogging struggles. Oh yes, here we are again. Good stuff.

Now, how will I wrap it up? Will I offer a weak ass call to action? I hope not. Will the call to action be relevant? Hope so.

Do the Knicks play/lose tonight? Or tomorrow morning, considering Bali time is 13 hours ahead of East Coast Time in the US? What’s for dinner? Is it time to hit Pandawa Beach yet?

I know this struggle, of keeping your focus on 1 goal, with a post, and seeing it through to your call to action, can be pure hell.

ADD-like behavior, combined with savvy smart phone manufacturers, and increased internet coverage around the world….wait a second…..gotta check my tablet……(5 minutes later)…..has led to a confusion, and consternation, about seeing a freaking blog post through.

This problem can be solved by doing the good old, up-down blog review thingee, that Coach Ryan Biddulph often barks at his clients.

No, of course, I say it nicely, with love, and tenderness, and with jam. Sweet jam.

The Solution

 

I advise my clients to do a top-down inventory of their blog if they’re struggling to attract targeted, engaged, buying readers. Review every element, from the header, to menu, to titles, to sidebar widgets, to posts, to footers, to pages, to everything.

In the case of the post distraction bit, do the top-down bit for the single post.

From the title, to the first paragraph, to the last paragraph, right down to the call to action………is your message clear and persistent? Better be, if you want to grow your list, and if you want to grow your blogging income.

Example; at the end of this post, I will probably ask you to sign up for my list. OK, of course I’ll ask you.

THEN…..I’ll post a call to action specifically directed at struggling bloggers.

Like…..I could offer my blog coaching services (click for a big tiger picture, my first client), to help you through your struggles, or I could direct you to download:

Blogging from Paradise: 10 Disastrous Mistakes Newbie Bloggers Make (and How to Fix Them) 

Top-down, my message is consistent.

I wanna help struggling bloggers break through barriers, to beat down resistance, and to obliterate blogging obstacles.

Before I publish anything I better make sure I’m 100% clear that this post, top-down, will provide that valuable service to my readers.

So, that’s how you get through that one, Check your blog post, top-down. Patiently verify that your post is true to your one goal. Of course, you need to set that one goal, or purpose, before you start working on the post. Keep that idea in your noggin. Proceed.

7: I Have No Time to Write a Blog Post Struggles

 

You probably feel like you’re running out of time. You’re human. No Zen masters living in temples are subscribers, as far as I’ve noticed, and that’s OK; I’d have a tough time figuring out how many oranges would entitle a monk to blog coaching services.

Anyway, few live in the moment. You may be having a helluva time writing your blog posts because:

• you work a 9-5 job
• you have a growing family to take care of
• you’re a full time student
• you’re just plain busy as hell and can’t seem to find the time to write your blog posts.

Before you go all “Hey Ryan, it’s easy for you to write posts…..you’re so talented, and lucky, and blessed, and you were born to blog.”

HA!

Can you hear me chuckling from Bali? Laughing in my wifebeater, and in my young shorts?

I hope you can.

Here’s a nice little primer for you.

6 years ago I didn’t know what a blog was. Really. I thought it was a cyborg or something. I knew how to check email, and to visit espn.com. That’s it.

A few months ago I spoke to an Inbound Marketing Class about blogging here (picture time): 

Seriously, Blogging from Paradise took NYU by storm. I cyber spoke of course, being the paradise-living, island hopping guy that I am.

But I spoke at a prestigious university because I……made the time to write daily. For at least a few hours.

I went from not knowing to what a blog was to writing 6,000 words or more daily, to speaking at NYU about blogging. I am no Hillary Clinton, or esteemed foreign dignitary. I’m just a guy who made the time to write, who chose to spend his time – or at least a few hours daily – writing, and so, I have lived a pretty neat life. Based on my choices.

You have 24 hours today. If you’re being a good little boy or girl, you’ll sleep 8 hours. Or 6. Or 7 (I really hope the National Sleep Council isn’t reading; they’ll threaten me).

OK that leaves 16 hours to work with. If you work full time you’re down to 8 hours of free time.

So, how are you using those 8 hours of free time? To free yourself? Or to bind yourself? You choose. You select. You decide. You are in control. In full power. Like a real freaking boss, like a shot caller, like an OG, or like any street gang leader term you want to insert here, you are choosing. What to do with your time.

You have the time, write now (hehehe subliminally reprogramming you) to:

• write a blog post (after reading this post, commenting on it, sharing it, and after of course, visiting my Blogging from Paradise library on Amazon to buy an eBook and write a review)
• not write a blog post

You choose.

You may be busy as hell. I respect that. But I also respect that my neighbors here in paradise, those retirees, those free as a bird folks you may want to throw rotten vegetables at, or who you admire, these folks were all busy once. We all are. We have tough stuff to get through, and tight schedules, as we work our way up.

Bloggers who live their dreams – and I know this is you, or, it will be you – do freeing yet uncomfortable things to free themselves. It is that simple. I could fold up, close up shop and shut down this blog right now to become a full time selfie shooter if every blogger embraced the prior sentence.

Bloggers who do freeing but uncomfortable things – making the time to write blog posts, or to write daily, despite being busy as hell – free themselves. I wish I could be more elegant, or fancy, or mesmerizing, and I wish I could share some closely-guarded secret, that would catapult me ahead of Bill Gates and Carlos Slim on that money list, and I also wish that I were a little bit taller (do you remember that rap?) but alas, it’s that simple.

The Solution

 

Today, you will have 24 hours. Don’t check out on us. Please. I need every subscriber I can get.

You choose how to spend the 24 hours. Spend 1-2 hours writing. Write 1,000 words or more every day. Just do it, it’s fun. You want to be free, right? Fall more in love with being free than you fear doing uncomfortable stuff, and you’ll write the blog post, or you’ll hit your daily word count so you can write your blog post.

I have struggled in this regard, and I have also spoken at NYU about blogging – still sounds surreal – after writing 6,000 words and up daily. Seen both ends of the spectrum. I tell ya, my kiddies, that I want to be free more than I fear writing daily. So I write, and write, and here we are, in Bali.

I’d say (and this is just an estimation) that my blog and brand, and eBooks, and my lifestyle, are the direct result of:

• .001% of being a natural
• 99.9% of wanting to be free more than anything so I do the freeing but scary stuff like writing every day until I love writing and look forward to it until I’m sick of writing then I write anyway because being sick of writing is an uncomfortable feeling that comes and goes then back to writing and I love it and it opens so many doors for me and I live this glam freeing lifestyle because I wanted to be free and acted inspired and…..

Maybe that ratio is off. I am .00001% a natural writer. Ditto on being a networker too. But I made time to post. Because I love being a free bird.

Make the time to write. Hell, build your day around meditating, working on your mental tools, and writing. Then, do the job bit if you’re full time jobbing it, and get in your exercise, and online networking, then you’ll reap the benefits of your persistent practice.

Next fear, coming up!

8: I Can’t Pick a Blog Topic Struggles

 

I hear this one quite a bit these days.

You’re at Haagen Das. Totally confused. So many flavors, so much goodness, and you have so many talents to show off….or….you have zero talents to show off (in your mind) and you have no idea where to start. Or, you just want to make some money. Which blog topic or niche makes fast money? You’re wondering?

Or, you want to toss salt over your shoulder, and just make a goddamn choice, and you want to be done with it.

I covered approximately 462 topics over the years. Kidding. 4,620. Kidding.

I covered a bunch though. Way too many. Because I couldn’t pick a topic and then when I could pick a topic I didn’t stick with it.

Enough of the struggle. Let’s dissect the solution. It’s really kinda tricky, as vexing as trying to guess an episode ending on a good old Breaking Bad show.

My magic moment; after sitting down to dwell on 1, clear blog topic, I assessed what I loved doing most at this time in my life:

• traveling
• blogging

So, I created Blogging from Paradise. How to retire to a life of island hopping through smart blogging. I blog my joy, my passion and my life.

If you have don’t have the results/evidence/proof that I do, get off of your blogging booty and make the results/evidence/proof, by choosing your joy. You choose the joy, you learn from the joyous mentors in your niche, you share your story through your journey(wherever you are on that journey, right now), and you live your dreams.

The Practical Solution

 

Do what you love. Do what you love. Then, when you’re doing what you love, blog what you love. Blog what you love. Blog what you love.

Don’t blog to make money. That gets boring after a while.

Don’t blog to chase a fast moving niche. That gets boring after a while.

Don’t blog to impress people. That gets about as boring as watching paint dry on a humid day in the south of Bali. It’s humid as heck here, I feel like I’m sitting in a Turkish bath as I write these words.

Blog to free yourself and your audience BY picking a blog topic you love to write about, to talk about, to chat about, to lecture about, to dissect, to analyze, to dream about, to dwell upon, and to just obsess over, in a good way.

How I Picked 1 Topic and Stuck with it

 

Let me share my story. It could help you with your struggles.

I trashed my old blog. And everything with it. 300 topics, out the door. Make money online theme. GONEZO! This was the purge, the catalyst, the letting go of a heavy ass anchor, that held me back.

This means, you may need to trash an old blog or series of blogs, or you may need to get rid of every other topic you covered, to start from scratch, because you’ll screw up your present moment clarity, by trying to hold onto unclear topics.

Re-read that line my Blogging from Paradise kiddies.

If you hold onto confusing, you can’t be clear now. You can’t clearly see, and feel, and divine, that 1 passionate blog topic you need to choose, to put your blogging career into overdrive.

This is one of my favorite blogging tips; letting go the past, the old, the worn out, the done-with, to make room for the clear, the new and the spectacular passion you want to blog about, and then, that right der is when you’re set!

What do you love?

Is it:

• travel
• sports
• blogging
• stamp collecting
• eating
• talking
• the news
• building businesses
• bodybuilding

??? The list does not end. You know though, what you love.

Are you obsessed with Ron Coleman’s meaty lats? If so, you’re a bodybuilding blogger. Or, you have a weird fascination with back muscles.

Maybe you can’t stop talking about how horrible the Knicks are. This too, can go on forever, because my Knicks are having a horrendous year. Maybe I can blog my way into a 2 guard spot. We’ll see. I did shoot 60% from the three point line in high school, ya know? (insert Al Bundy Polk High joke here)

You know exactly what you love. Go get ’em! Pick that 1, clear topic and run with it. Your audience finds you. Money’s in your passion because if you love doing it, other people love doing it. Your passion ain’t exclusive folks! Billions of people on earth and many of those humanoids are on the internet-thingee. The money is there, the passion is there and the creative ideas are der (Arnold S style).

9: I’m Not Good Enough Struggles

 

Spend the first hour of each day doing these 2 things:

• meditating
• reprogramming your subconscious mind through subliminal hypnosis

That “I’m not good enough” struggle dies a quick death. Then you’re good enough. In your mind.

See you in Bali. You deserving one, you.

10: My Blog Looks and Sounds Like Everybody Else’s Blog Struggles

 

If your blog sounds like other blogs, and looks like other blogs, you’re telling they’re story. You’re following. You are imitating. Like a bad version of the wax museum bit, you are intentionally – or not – trying to be like your blogging neighbor.

See in my case, this is easy to avoid. My neighbor doesn’t blog. She’s a 70 year old Balinese farming woman who sometimes walks around topless. She has bloody red teeth too, from her betel nut habit. She’s a playa.

I would have a tough time imitating her. One of a kind.

BUT….I do avoid sounding like my online neighbor by telling my story.

The Solution

 

Tell your story. Link your story in to your niche. Draw parallels. With practice, and writing, and writing – 1,000 words a day or more cause you want to be FREE – this gets easier and easier.

I could publish an entire post about how my Balinese Neighbor’s Betel Nut Chewing Habit Makes You a Better Blogger, and I just may, because I tell my story, and dissect it, and write, and write.

Your story – wherever you are in life, right now – makes you stand out from the 7 billion or whatever people on earth.

Tell it!

Easy peasy way to do it; journal your day.

Is it a blue day? A hue day? A happy day? Did you go to the big dance? Did your brother try to break your lock on the diary? The big oaf. Little girls aren’t the only people who diary; smart bloggers diary their days, too.

Author and humorist David Sedaris has maintained a journal of his daily experiences for decades. The man is a BRILLIANT story teller. A1 grade. He’s one of my favorite authors, hands down.

The wealth is in your story. Tell it. You’ll sound like no one on earth if you tell your daily stories, and recount your experiences, and tie each into your niche.

Practice, practice, practice makes better.

Bring us in to your little fireside chat, little Franklin Roosevelt.

Your Turn

 

So, I know you’re all blogging Jedi Knights and you’re laughing at these mistakes made by feeble-minded, weak bloggers….but now that I’ve made my final joke of the day…..do you struggle with any of these things?

What solutions do you have to offer?

Please chat with me in the comments below, OK?

Call to Action

 

You don’t have to struggle. Not one bit. So I decided to write this eBook for you. Even if you’re a seasoned, grizzled veteran blogger you can download this bad boy on Amazon. Clickie clickie.

Blogging from Paradise: 10 Disastrous Mistakes Newbie Bloggers Make (and How to Fix Them) 

This inspired little read can cut your blogging learning curve by 5 years…or more.

Leave me a review too on Amazon. Let’s help free a slew of bloggers through your feedback.

Please share this post with all of your friends.

Before you leave Paradise (Blogging-wise) today sign up for my email list. Find the ugly shade of loud, hideous looking green shaded bar – like the slime color from You Can’t Do That on Television – on the top of the the page and type in your email address.

Enjoy my eBooks and emails. (Hehehe, I added an “s” so you’d pick up more than one)

Until next time…..enjoy paradise!