Self-Driving Car Tempe Arizona
I admit it.
I have been auto-detailing negligent.
I washed my old BMW weekly. But that was 25 years ago.
Now I wash our car far less frequently.
I hosed it down for months. I also did some light sponging.
Yesterday was the first time I gave it a serious scrub since our U.S. cross country road trip.
Scratches
I noticed something; scratches appeared on both sides of the car. Dings popped up on the grille, hood and on the trunk too.
Why?
Drive thousands of miles living your dreams and your ride is bound to get dinged up. Ditto for you. I’ve some mental and bodily scratches to show for this lifestyle. Comes with the territory!
I recalled how briar bushes assailed our doors in remote Tulare Country California. I saw black bears, bobcats and coyotes there. We lived in a gorgeous luxury home sitting on 23 acres beside the Sequoia National Forest.
What about the bug splat on our grille? Enjoying the cross country trip from Connecticut to North Carolina to California came part and parcel with mashing insects doing 75 MPH on the highway.
I could go on but you get the picture.
Road trips are fun.
But driving all over the country means facing resistance from time to time.
Expect to experience a bit o’ damage, folks.
What About Your Blogging Dreams?
Pro bloggers “chip paint” sometimes.
Full-time bloggers know how it feels to watch their blog crash for obvious reasons. Pros know what it feels like to suffer through blog outages for unknown reasons until the host notifies you.
I know how it feels to get dinged up as an 18 year blogging veteran. Imagine what my blogging armor looks like after being in the cyber trenches for nearly two decades?
Living your dreams means facing resistance. Reaching your blogging goals means slamming into fear. Obstacles arise. Traffic exists outside of your comfort zone. Blogging income awaits beyond your fears. Do you feel ready to face obstacles? How do you feel about knifing through resistance?
Blogging Resistance
Do you want to taste the blogging sweet?
Prepare to chow down on the blogging sour.
Successful bloggers encounter obstacles.
Amateurs overcome resistance to go pro.
Common Blogging Obstacles
- traffic struggles
- income struggles
- receiving negative reviews
- being stiffed by clients who evade making payment
- blog outages
- being spammed
Imagine each obstacle to be like scratches on a car.
The illusion of perfection dies as dings assail your ride.
Something neat happens next.
Overcoming blogging obstacles positions you to increase organic blog traffic.
Doing tough blogging work builds content-assets.
Content-assets send organic traffic to your blog 24-7, 365.
Beware Suffering from the Perfection Curse
Could I enjoy the thrill of a cross county road trip without the automobile dings?
Nope.
My then brand new BMW looked perfect in 2001. Jet black, sleek and 6 miles on the odometer, I turned heads for a few months.
Things changed as I put thousands of miles onto the ride. Scratches appeared. The car looked less perfect. But goodness did I have fun traversing New Jersey and surrounding states.
The car looked perfect at 6 miles.
The car depreciated as I left the dealership lot.
My joy increased exponentially the moment I rolled out of the dealership lot.
Life is imperfect. We live in duality. Having fun means being damaged on some level. Imperfections arise as you live your dreams.
Blogs are imperfect.
But bloggers want the perfect design. Bloggers want to publish the perfect post.
In duality everything is imperfect. Helpful content wins. Clear blog designs win. Perfect blogs and perfect designs are not required nor does perfection exist here.
Get blogging mileage on the cyber tires. Face blogging obstacles. Conquer blogging obstacles. Traffic and income exist beyond the obstacles. Worry not when your blog gets banged up. Success comes with stitches.
Perfectionists rarely drive organic traffic and earn blogging income. The curse keeps perfectionists within their comfort zone. Struggles manifest. Success sits beyond your comfort zone. Imperfection sits outside of your comfort zone. Obstacles hang out there too. Prepare to get scratched. Feel the joy of earning blogging income.
Successful Bloggers Have War Stories
I remember the time my blog crashed for days.
Why?
How?
A poor internet connection in a rural Thai village contributed to the scenario. I struggled to contact the hosting company. The hosting company struggled to contact me.
My blog popped up online once again.
It’s a long story.
Too long for a single blog post.
Anyway, every seasoned pro blogger has war stories to tell. Otherwise these pros would not be pros.
Pros face obstacles everyone else dodges. Full-time bloggers ease into resistance everyone else sprints from into failing comfort.
Blogging is not always easy but is always worth it.
Hug your blogging battle scars.
I recall my first one star review. My ego felt bruised. Yet I learned how not to take negative feedback personally. I never would have learned this lesson unless I appeared to be scarred with a scathing review. But I received a treasured gift, in reality.
Here I am an 18 year blogging veteran.
I have circled the globe since 2011.
Do you know how many times I’ve been banged up on the road?
Why do I lived in dreamy spots?
Why do I have fun?
Why do I follow my passion?
I willingly eased into resistance.
I faced obstacles. I stumbled. I got lost. I slammed into culture shock. I plowed into language barriers.
I live my dreams because I knifed through the resistance blocking me from living my dreams.
Everything you want blogging-wise is beyond your fears.
Stop Trying to Look Cool
I heard all-time NBA great Kevin Durant note how most ballers never become icons because each wants to look cool. Few want to look bad. Almost no one wants to be embarrassed.
He became one of the best basketball players of all time because he out-practiced almost every NBA player. He put in the reps. He got injured. He didn’t try to save face or look cool. He busted his ass. He screwed up. He made mistakes.
But KD become one of the top scorers in NBA history because he had no fear of getting dinged up.
Stop trying to look cool. Stop trying to control your blogging reputation. Say what needs to be said. Tell the truth even if most readers leave the room. Lose investment in trying to control what people say about you. Stop sucking up to readers because you want them to be customers.
Be kind and direct.
Be compassionate and honest.
Get banged up. Deal with negative comments. Deal with spam.
Increased organic traffic exists on the other side of obstacles.
Increased blogging income manifests beyond your blogging fears.
Practical Tips to Follow
- spend time in quiet
- see where perfectionism hurts not helps your blog
- list your blogging mistakes related to being a perfectionist
- be honest about wanting your blog theme, design and overall presentation to be perfect
- dig deep into your mind to notice how reaching blogging goals always dinged you – and your blog – in some way, shape or form
- publish the next blog post without proof-reading the sucker five times
- ship imperfectly; publish your next social media update sounding rough and ready not highly polished and perfect
- find a reasonable balance between doing quality control and letting things fly
Conclusion
I do not suggest doing low quality work.
Edit. Proofread. Build a pleasing user experience.
But accept blogging imperfections to grow like a weed.
Nobody gets ahead by being comfortable.
Look closely at my travel photos. Think about all the fun I’ve had circling the States. Remember the glaring scratches on my car.
Dreams come with dings.
Your Turn
Do you chase your blogging dreams despite the dings?
Or do you fear reaching blogging goals because you know what’s coming?
How did you overcome the perfection curse?
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