Is Blogging a Marathon or Sprint?

I Googled “blogging“.

 

One social media update claimed blogging to be easier than ever.

 

One social media update promised that the individual figured out how to publish more content with less effort.

 

Both individuals could be right. Blogging may be easier than ever for that experienced blogger. Skilled bloggers figure out ways to churn out content with less effort.

 

Reality Paints a Different Picture

 

Reality is different.

 

Blogging is not easy for most of us.

 

Few succeed with increasingly less effort.

 

I worked at it for years before ranking consistently on Google.

 

Both of the bloggers above promise blogging to be a sprint.

 

Blogging does not work that way. Nobody becomes a skilled blogger overnight.

 

Shortcuts rarely work. Shortcuts that appear to temporarily work break down sooner than later.

 

Blogging is a leisurely marathon not a sprint. Blogging is difficult but doable. The more you work the easier it becomes but after an extraordinary length of time.

 

I learn new things about my blog daily. I began blogging in 2008.

 

The Unconscious Delays

 

Maybe a rare few who do not resist success enjoy generating fairly easy blogging income.

 

But almost no one is that lucky.

 

Most harbor strong unconscious resistance to succeeding. Worthiness issues abound. Various fears surface. Some fear failing. Some fear succeeding because thriving means taking on heavy responsibility.

 

Getting through resistance takes years. The unconscious mind is immense. Most of what we do flows from the unconscious.

 

I blogged for years to trigger unconscious fears. I feared losing all of my money. I feared being rejected by my family when I became successful. If feared taking on excess responsibility as my professional blogging career took off. Being responsible meant trading time for work. I hated that idea. I loved my freedom. I resisted any activity that appeared to take away my freedom.

 

Blogging for an extraordinary length of time exposed these fears. I stuck with it for years to uncover these damaging thought patterns running my life.

 

This is why going pro is like jogging a leisurely marathon. Sometimes you crawl. Other times you walk. Other times you power walk. Other times you jog. Nobody sprints.

 

Life Intervenes

 

I care not how hungry you are.

 

Life intervenes.

 

Things fall apart in the offline world.

 

During challenging times, blogging gets the back burner because solving offline problems becomes the priority.

 

Becoming successful takes a long time because each offline micro trauma consumes much of your time for stretches.

 

Examples from My Life

 

I did things other than blogging a while back to pay bills.

 

Working these income channels meant putting blogging to the side. I crawled blogging-wise for this stretch because I had little time to devote to my blog.

 

I also put blogging in the back seat as a new world traveler. How could I blog for 10 hours daily? I experienced culture shock. I spent hours exploring new locations. I found myself taking 23 hour flights.

 

Jet lagged bloggers do not put in 12 hour days.

 

I eventually got back to blogging. But I had a lot of time to make up.

 

Trying to sprint delayed my success. I forced things. I rushed things. Everything fell apart. Doing a poor job repels quality traffic. Forcing things leads to failure.

 

I treated blogging like a relaxed marathon to turn the corner.

 

Blog with a Long Term Vision in Mind

 

Let your vision guide you.

 

Know where you want to go. Develop confidence. Establish posture.

 

Take your time. Jog. Crawl. Walk. Whatever it takes to adopt a marathon approach, just do it.

 

It takes a long time to become skilled. Google rewards consistent bloggers. Readers follow tenacious bloggers who do not give up.

 

People sometimes find my consistency remarkable. Not many bloggers are left from the 2008 batch like myself. I am just getting started. I’m jogging a marathon. 2008 is nothing. Other bloggers have been at it since the 1990’s. I too plan to blog for 30 years. 2028 will mark the second decade of my blogging career.

 

Things Come Together Slowly But Reliably

 

Good things take time.

 

Yet succeeding organically is dependable.

 

Build everything the right way. Perhaps doing this takes a large chunk of time. But doing it the right way generates organic traffic and passive income.

 

Not making money for a long time tests your patience. But you will feel different as organic traffic and passive income build.

 

The World Makes You Earn It

 

Whether people or Google, the world makes you earn success.

 

Passing the time test proves too stiff a challenge for most bloggers. Most want to sprint. Most shortcut their way to sustained failure.

 

Writing a heavy volume of traffic generating blog posts takes years. No one sprints through this process because rushing things kills your blogging credibility.

 

Future pros treat blogging like a calm marathon for this reason.

 

Add necessary details to build credibility. Drive Google traffic by SEO-optimizing content.

 

Set side 2-3 hours to write a new blog post. Set aside 45 minutes to update an old blog post.

 

No one can sprint for 10,000 hours. Burnout follows. Quitting follows.

 

Take your time.

 

Conclusion

 

Blogging is a long term gig.

 

Build your online asset patiently.

 

Be consistent for years to go full-time.