Do you feel hopeless about your blog right now?
Down in the dumps?
Everybody loses the fire sometimes.
Hey, you’re human!
Forgive yourself.
Today, we’re going to stoke your blogging fire when you feel particularly deflated.
Imagine taking a railroad spike to a hot air balloon.
Can you hear the WHOOOSSSHHHH?
I’ve felt like that a few times during my blogging career.
But I also know how to face, embrace and release the hopeless feeling.
To energize myself.
Or to stoke my fire.
To get back on blogging course.
Today I want to help you get that FIRE back.
Ready?
Follow these 10 tips to create a white-hot blogging fire when you feel as hopeless as a brownie vendor outside of a Weight Watcher’s convention.
1: Why, Guy?
Or, why, gal?
Why are you blogging?
If you feel hopeless you probably forget WHY you’re blogging.
Tie the reason why to:
- Having fun
- Following your passion
- Freeing yourself
- Inspiring others to free themselves
Dig really, really deep to stoke your blogging fire when times get tough.
I’m writing this post on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon by the Jersey Shore in lovely Red Bank.
I could be outside doing 115 things – or lazing at the beach – but because blogging is so fun and freeing for me, I’m writing the post.
Don’t worry; you will likely see my bum on the beach soon.
Matthew Kaboomis Loomis genuinely loves what he does at Build Your Own Blog.
Follow his fantastic interview series to get inside the brain boxes of some top bloggers (not literally, you Walking Dead zombies out there).
2: Read about…The Rest of the Story
Mom and Dad Biddulph told us to shut our yaps when the Paul Harvey show aired during dinner time at home.
This show featured famous people BUT the “minutes long lead in” shared some unknown story – or stories – about the famous person, sometimes detailing some difficult struggle they overcame before becoming famous.
I am hardly famous – in the moment at least – but I have lived a cool life, spending the past 5 and a half years living in Fiji, Bali, Thailand and Costa Rica among other spots.
But what if I told you I was $70,000 in debt, declared bankruptcy and sold almost everything I owned early during my blogging career?
Seeing what other blogger overcame to live their dreams can help you to keep the fire burning when you feel deflated.
Check out:
Dig into this eBook to see what I overcame to write 50 eBooks. Hell, I developed the same mindset to write my current day total of 126 eBooks.
3: Ramp Up Personal Development Time
Pinpoint your mental block.
Uncover the root of your hopelessness.
Spend 20 to 30 minutes in personal development on waking.
Suggestions:
- Meditate
- Do EFT tapping
- Take a cold shower
- Stretch
- Exercise
Those are my faves.
Choose activities which vibe with you.
Working on your inner world helps you to face, embrace and release lower energies you may have resisted for months or years.
Read Kelli’s blog (aka, “my wife’s blog” to my awesome new readers) to get your inner world clear.
4: Double Down on Learning
Use the 5 Hour Rule followed by many billionaires. Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and Oprah adhere to this rule.Gotta be good money, guys.
If you’ve lost hope you’re probably not learning consistently.
Blogging leaders voraciously feast on knowledge relevant to their niche.
Leaders learn, implement, test and tweak their way to stunning success.
These folks gain more excitement and passion for their niche with each tidbit of knowledge they acquire.
Kinda tough to feel hopeless and depleted when you’re excited to learn more about your niche.
5: Pay People to Handle Dirty (or Less Desirable Work)
Hire people to handle work you’d rather not handle.
Pay people to handle grunt work.
Pay people to capitalize on their expertise.
Hire people to do what you cannot do.
By freeing up your schedule you will feel:
- Refreshed
- Energized
- Focused
- Driven
- Relaxed
- Productive
- Effective
Avoid burn out.
Raise your energy by focusing on what you most love doing.
Outsource the rest.
6: Use Tools to Leverage Your Presence
You have 24 hours to work with today.
Pay for premium tools – or use freebies – to get the fire back.
Like tip #5, if you devote virtually all of your time and energy to what you most love doing you will be refreshed, energized, focused and full of hope, vim and vigor.
I use:
- Tweet Deck
- Hootsuite
- Social Oomph
Among other tools.
Many bloggers lose their fire because they’re overworked, doing things that tools can do (physical apps, not idiots).
Stoke your desire fire.
Outsource basic processes to bots.
7: Take a Vacay
Take a blogging vacay.
For a day.
For 2 days.
Or for the week.
Or maybe a 2 week blogging vacay is in order.
Pull back to raise your energy.
When you assess the situation from a higher level of consciousness you’ll see above hopelessness.
You’ll also build a Balrog-like (LOTR reference) fire in your belly that can’t be diminished, even if Mr. Freeze, Aquaman and Merman did their best to quench the roaring flames.
8: Follow Energetic Dynamos
The energetic dynamos can pick you up when the going gets tough.
Fan your flames by aligning with the brightest lights.
Feed off of their empire.
Feast on their essence.
Energize yourself by tapping into the unbounded energy emitted by these inspired folks.
9: Help People
Help people to move your attention from feeling hopeless to giving hope.
Ask people what they need help with through:
- Your blog
- Your email newsletter
- Google Plus
Share helpful, thorough responses to solve OPP: Other People’s Problems.
Move your focus from your problems to providing service.
Serving others dissolves your struggles, cutting off your hopelessness at its legs.
10: Spend More Time in Nature
All the hacks, tips, tricks and techniques on earth pale in comparison to nature.
Nature is limitless.
Nature is perfection.
Hug a tree. Seriously. Do it. Commune with life.
Walk barefoot on the grass.
Take a hike through the woods.
Just breathing in and out slowly, and deeply, in your yard or in a park or anywhere in nature automatically centers you.
Hopelessness is of the mind.
When you dissolve into nature your mind games vanish. So does that mental state known as “hopelessness.”
Even better?
Nature invigorates you.
Daily double!
Your Turn
Do you feel hopeless with your blog?
Are you following any of these tips?
What tips can you add to this list?
Sign Up for My Blogging Audio Course
If you’re struggling with your blog you need to stoke your blogging fire until it burns into a white hot desire.
I’ve created an audio course to do just that.
Sign up for training here:
11 Fundamentals of Successful Blogging (Plus a Bonus Audio Course)
Please share this post on Twitter, Facebook, G Plus, LinkedIn and Pinterest.
Ryan Biddulph
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29 Comments
Hi Joy, Ditto on Facebook 😉 I do spend time there and see success but it feels heavy to me. When I move toward blogging I have fun and when I move away I have much less fun so I will focus on having fun and blogging. Tools really free us from being tied to the laptop for 20 hours a day. Powerful weapons in our blogging arsenal. Thanks for commenting Joy 🙂
Hi Ryan,
I feel lost and hopeless if I stray too far from blogging – so for instance when I have to spend time on Facebook marketing LOL. Many people say it’s very effective, so I guess I’m not doing it properly.
Completely agree about using tools to automate some of the grunt work. There just aren’t enough hours in the day otherwise. My favorite social media posting tool is Buffer.
Thanks for some great tips.
Joy – Blogging After Dark
Awesome Nestir. Love that I’m helping to give you a boost. We all need it sometimes 😉 Thank you for commenting.
Your post charge me up, i want more of your post like this, reading this help me become more focus on blogging.. thanks for sharing this!
Awesome. Thanks a bunch for reading 🙂
Perfect Cori 😉
I know the break thing is HUGE to me. And it’s where I muck up sometimes. Because I do enjoy working, creating and networking I fill my plate when I need less stuff to do. Going forward, methinks I’ll network with folks who comment on my blog. Like how Adrienne seemed to do it. If someone reaches out I’ll fan flames under those bonds and be less concerned with meeting new folks. To free my sked. And to take more breaks.
Thanks for reading Cori. Have a great weekend 🙂
Ditto on the learning Don.
If I’m not learning I fall behind. It’s a must. So much good info out there too, to soak up, to read, to learn and to implement.
Nature rocks. Kelli and I just cruised thru NYC for about an hour. Not pure nature but fresh air did us some good. We will visit Central Park tomorrow to walk in the grass and to laze a bit.
Thanks as always Don 🙂
Muhet regression therapy sounds neat Fabrizio. What is it? Curious to learn more.
As for relaxation and working out I’m finding a balance between the 2. I love to workout. I also love to chill. Getting a proper rest-go ratio always carries over into my blogging work, for when I’m rested and energized, things get so much easier on the blogging front.
Thanks a bunch for sharing.
Likewise Harleena 😉 It’s great to see you here. We all need a little kick in the pants sometimes. So happy to share and that you found the tips useful. Thanks so much and you too 🙂
Hi Ryan,
Good to be back on your blog – glad you got the comments back 🙂
You are right about all that you mentioned. As bloggers, we all have our down times and need motivation to pep us and bring us back on track. Loved your tips mentioned here indeed!
Thanks for sharing. Have a nice week ahead 🙂
Wow Ryan, it’s like you’re talking directly to me…I need to do #7 so I can take in #10. 🙂
I love the suggestions you shared here – some of which I’m doing now like using tools and helping others. Then there are others like paying people to handle less desirable work that I should consider doing – especially since I’m pulled away from blogging to take care of my mom…what time I do have for blogging should be for things like writing and learning.
If I could add to this list, I would say take a break but I think that falls under #7 – taking a vacay. 🙂 Sometimes we need to walk away to regroup and press the restart button.
Thanks for sharing this Ryan. TGIF! Have a great weekend.
Cori
Awesome post Ryan! I’m going to come back and read this every time I’m feeling lazy and unmotivated! 🙂
Hi Ryan,
There have been times I was tired, but never not motivated. In fact, I love blogging so much that when I walk away from I feel like something is missing. But hey, I feel that way if I miss a day at the gym now as well, lol… 🙂
I have to constantly be learning in order to do what I do. I read at least a book a week, read too many blogs too mention by those who I feel are not retreading the same old things over and over, and I love attending webinars and live events where I’m challenged to go beyond what I know.
I also love to connect with nature. Nicole and I love long walks, bicycle rides on the trails and hiking. There is something special about connecting with the outdoors and it definitely has a way of changing my outlook when I need an attitude adjustment. 🙂
We all get tired and we all need motivation at different times for different reasons!
I appreciate your heart, experience and openness to share your thoughts with us.
~ Don Purdum
Hi Rya, how are you man?
Loved your post here mate, nice set up tips.
I truly believe the why is important in blogging, because when one is lost, they can always refer back to the why.
What motivates me most in blogging is reading inspiring stories from other bloggers, seeing how they went from nothing to something.
I also love to learn new things when time will permit to.
I think exercise and relaxation though is top medicine, I really do.
I hit the gym 3 times a week, watch my diet and have Muhet regression therapy twice per month, and man has that lit a fire on my rear end!
Keep up the awesome work my friend, alway an inspiration buddy.
Regards, Fabrizio.
Amar I really love your analogies brother because I have felt them. We lose hope sometimes because after feeling vulnerable, we don’t feel like we’re growing as we should. But if you open your heart more and more to the world around you miracles pop up every day in your life, blogging-wise, and hope springs eternal. Thanks dude!
Hey Ryan,
Tenacious grip on the future and the art of the possible inspired me to grow above and beyond in ways I had never imagined or ever thought possible. Sure blogging takes a lot of time and resources to do it right, but it also is a great business tool. As an entrepreneur or aspiring entrepreneur, you are no doubt always working on the problem of how to get more people to purchase your products and services.
Alienated individuals believe that they are somehow different. Moreover, they feel as if they have been cut loose, no longer deemed worthy of love, care, or support. In turn, the alienated tend to close themselves off, fearing further pain and rejection.Helpless individuals no longer believe that they can live safely in the world. They feel exposed and vulnerable, like a cat after being declawed or a bird grounded by a broken wing.
With best regards,
Amar kumar
Sure thing Robin, thank you for reading!
Sure thing Lea, and thank you! The 5 hour rule is infinitely powerful. So helpful for becoming a sponge to knowledge 😉
Getting back to why I chose to do something usually helps in keeping me motivated. This post has some good advice. I didn’t know about the 5 hour rule, that’s good to know and I’m going to try to implement it. Thanks for the info!
~Lea
Hi Ryan,
It was really an inspirational post. I think you have written a post that every blogger would love to read. Even I enjoyed the read.
Thanks for sharing.
have a good week ahead.
Great to see you Lesly! Each tip works well, and nature really is A1. Yep we loved Istanbul. So different from world headlines. Thanks!
It’s SO much easier to keep energized when you know why you want to keep energized Walter. Thanks!
Thank you Kamil! Learning keeps the fire going. Focusing on WHY and tying it to freeing energies does wonders for generating hope where there is no hope. Also, pulling back from blogging work to spend a bunch of time thinking through drivers alerts us to why we do, what we do, and where our hopeless feeling roots itself.
Bingo Matt! You share a fab comment. Because when you see blogging as biz you do what business people do: hire to scale. Or, pay for tools to scale. Or use free tools to scale. You’ll also do fun stuff virtually all the time, leaving some tasks behind. Maybe you can outsource these tasks or perhaps your blog has outgrown ’em. Thank you!
Hi Ryan,
You’re right–I do love what I do and I love this post too. 🙂
Your 5th point to stoking the fire is a good one…a blogger will plateau at a certain point if they just keep trying to do everything all the time by themselves and never hire or ask for help. The more a blogger views their blog as a business, they easier it will be for them to let go of some things and outsource them.
As you always say–follow your fun! Delegat or outsource those tasks that weigh you down! This will definitely stoke the fire inside you when you lift that burden off your shoulders.
Great photo atop the post, Ryan! Appreciate the shoutout, too!
Stoke That Fire!
Matthew
Hi Ryan,
This post was very inspiring.
I’ve felt hopeless one time, couldn’t even think about blogging at that time.
It took me a long time to embrace the feeling and get back the fire.
Refocusing on my “Why” worked for me.
Tip#4
“If you’ve lost hope you’re probably not learning consistently.” is really inspiring!
I’ll keep that in my mind for sure!
Thank you for the awesome post.
Hi Ryan,
Love your new blog 🙂 These are great suggestions.. emotions come and go, but when you’re down hanging out in the abyss is not always a good thing. Movement, music, nature – sweet, amazing nature can be at times all you need … wonderful post Hope you had a wonderful trip on your last adventure .. my best always and great to visit…
Great advise Ryan,
People need to re-energize them self’s sometimes focus more on the end goal, if you speak seeing were there blogging can take them to new heights and embrace upon that.
Do you feel lost and hopeless with your blog right now?
What are you doing to stoke the fire?