Songdo, Korea
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6 years ago, I experienced so much pain and suffering that I could not maintain the seated position of kneeling on the calves and heels, the beginning point of this pose.
As of this post publish date, I achieved this position 2 weeks ago.
Now I can get my back to touch the floor.
How?
Stretch a Little Daily
6 years ago, I felt intense pain the moment I tried to kneel on my heels and calves.
What could I do?
I stretched a little that day to establish an alternative, beginner-level pose placing less stress – and pain – on my heels and calves.
The following day, I stretched a little more within the alternate post. Edging a tiny bit outside of my comfort zone goaded me to place a tiny bit of pressure on my heels and calves.
The following day, I stretched a little bit more.
For the following 20 or so days, I stretched enough to establish the full, complete pose of kneeling on my heels and calves. Took me about one month to do it but only because I held this pose for 10 minutes daily, edging a centimeter outside of my stretching comfort zone daily.
After the first month, I eventually held the pose seamlessly but only after practicing the pose for 10 minutes daily for roughly 3-4 months.
I then slowly but surely leaned back into the pose. Goodness my lower back, upper back and shoulders hurt like holy hell. So I nudged back 1 centimeter, it seemed, each day.
My ankles felt crazy tender, too. My hips seemed flexible enough but also required patient opening.
Daily, tiny, incremental efforts let me eventually lean back on my elbows.
Leaning back on my elbows eventually allowed me to lean back on my upper arms.
Two weeks ago, my full back touched the floor for the first time.
Why?
How?
I decided to stretch a tiny bit daily for 6 years.
I began the pose in pain.
Now, after 6 year’s of daily, tiny stretches, I can bend at my knees until my back touches the floor.
Welcome to becoming a full time blogger, folks!
Slow, steady stretching daily over a sustained period of time morphs one from blogging amateur with no readers to professional blogger.
Going pro is a simple but sometimes uncomfortable process of creating and connecting one tiny nudge at a time on a daily basis.
Practical Examples of Nudging Toward a Pro Blogging Career
Did you buy your domain and hosting to begin blogging on WordPress Dot Org yet?
Nudge toward success. Stretch a little. Pull out your credit card. Invest in your domain and hosting.
Did you end your latest blog post with a clear cut call to action for buying your eBook? Stretch a tiny bit. Add a confident call to action to the end of the blog post. Nudge outside of your comfort zone.
Begin writing your first eBook. Stretch a little by selecting a title.
Begin creating your first online course. Nudge a tiny bit outside of your comfort zone by choosing a title.
Read and comment genuinely on one blog from your niche today. Set aside 5-10 minutes to edge a teeny weeny bit outside of your blogging comfort zone.
Each seemingly tiny stretch moves you forward.
Stretch again tomorrow. Move forward a centimeter or an inch. Do it. You will thank yourself 5 years down the road as each tiny stretch leads to something special, fun and freeing.
Think practically. New bloggers may not feel ready to write and publish a 1500 word post today. No blogger succeeds by attempting to take a quantum leap completely out of the realistic realm, in their mind, at least.
Write 500 words today. Write 500 words tomorrow. Write 500 words the following day. Proof read the post the following day. Publish the blog post within 4-5 days.
Or if writing a 1500 word post seems impossible because you resist this idea just write and publish an 800-1000 word post within a few days. Even though I advise publishing only long form content the simple concept of being flexible gives you success momentum at the start.
Sometimes, publishing a post for public consumption is the baby step you need to take to get your blogging mojo going. Maybe this small step rockets you forward in the confidence department, even though it appeared to be a little stretch outside of your comfort zone to the world.
Pro Blogging Is in Baby Steps
Professional bloggers baby-step their way to successful blogging careers.
No full time blogger steps one quantum leap from amateur to thriving pro. Every pro takes little steps daily over many years. Tiny daily steps accumulate into covering a massive distance over 1, 2, 5 or 10 years.
That’s it.
That’s what it takes to become a full time blogger.
But stretching a tiny bit daily does nudge one outside of their comfort zone. No one goes pro by making comfortable decisions routinely.
Your job is to follow your passion right through your problems one blogging baby step at a time, even if it feels uncomfortable to do so.
Take little steps daily for a long time versus trying to take a few big steps over a short time frame. Blogging short cuts do not exist. Blogging short cuts move you backwards. Never mind how you double your workload with each short cut. First, you need to do work to correct your mistake. Then you need to do the successful blogging stuff to actually go pro down the road.
Save yourself these blogging headaches.
Follow a simple blogging strategy. Do simple things daily. Create and connect. Stretch a tiny bit today. Stretch a little more tomorrow. Each little motion forward accumulates into something fabulous, fun and freeing over the long haul.
Conclusion
Blogging is a marathon not a sprint.
Baby step your way to a professional blogging career one little stretch and one day at a time.
Call to Action
Check out my blogging courses and blogging eBooks for guidance.
