4 Blogging Lessons Learned from Shoveling Pig Slop in New Zealand

Timaru, New Zealand.

Sooie!!!! Oink oink oink.

I found 4 more blogging lessons for you guys. Shoveling pig slop.

Kelli did a fun house sit in Timaru, New Zealand. Little wee farming scenario, with a few pigs, chickens and alpaca.

Free Blogging Lessons

I made a mean mash at the crack of dawn each morning. Bullshit; I made a mean mash whenever I woke up.

Anyway, if you feel a bit confused with your blog, this blog post can give you greater clarity and energy for future posts. Sometimes a lesson flowing from a bizarre direction knocks you out of your blogging stupor.

Blogging eBook

Before we dive in to the blog post, I noted how one of my readers said I was promoting a *new* eBook when he came across How to Retire to a Life of Island Hopping through Smart Blogging yesterday. Obviously, even though the eBook is 4 years old already, I have not promoted it in 15 billion spots yet. So the blitz is on guys.

Please spread the word on social media and send it to your email list if you enjoy my blog and want to help other bloggers become full time, pro bloggers:

How to Retire to a Life of Island Hopping through Smart Blogging

Of course you can buy it too if you want a simple guide for becoming a successful blogger.

Let’s dive in to the lessons.

1: Timing Is Everything

At 8:01 AM, I was too late.

7:30 AM was the optimal feeding time. 7:30 AM meant I could sneak out to the pig pen, deposit food seamlessly and the piggies woke as the slop hit the bin. Clean, easy, piece of cake.

But by 8 AM every day, the pigs were waiting for me. Meaning I had to use smoke and mirrors to distract them to avoid pouring slop all over their heads, onto the ground, as they greedily tried to gobble up the slop from my hands.

Timing is everything with blogging too. In truth, the earlier you can make the next freeing, uncomfortable decision, the more quickly you succeed. Successful bloggers rarely wait, or hesitate, or deliberate; they get their ass into motion, making sometimes scary but always empowering, freeing decisions, buying courses, writing eBooks, publishing products and offering services, sharing value and building bonds to become rocking bloggers.

If you delay or hesitate, all the bloggers who don’t fart around will lap you. So….create, connect, follow leaders, buy eBooks and realize that the Universe loves folks who move into uncomfortable but freeing actions now.

2: Be Happy with Shit

Priscilla and Penny were as happy as pigs in shit. Because they lived in their feces. Part of being a pig. Root things up, poop, eat, get down and dirty. No worries.

Most sentient beings avoid their waste. Not pigs. Happy with living in the appearances of filth, because they are pigs. No big deal.

Your blog will go to the crapper. Mine did a few months ago, crashing for 11 days for some readers. I was relatively happy with the situation because experience taught me a big, freeing, fun change was on the horizon. Seemingly shitty situations goad you to make big changes you resisted.

So…..I changed hosts, went with a VPS and I have never been happier, nor have my readers been happier. If stuff goes South with your blog, take a deep breath, judge little, relax a bit, release your fears, and the more chill you are, the more quickly the success-promoting solution reveals itself.

3: Monster Mash for the Tastiest Bash

Sour apples. Powdered milk. Warm water. Weet-a-Bix. Whole wheat bread. Yesterday’s oatmeal. Last night’s kale. Old tomatoes.

The tastiest mashes included a jambalaya of all things old and new, and a wide range of food. Piggies purveyed multiple food groups.

The tastiest, party style mashes contained the most ingredients, said foods of varying age. Think….foodie contrast. A pleasant mix of old and new, plus a nice little range of carbs and dairy and water.

Blogging is no different. Even if you blog aligned with a core brand message, mix in the odd post sometimes. 1 trick blogging ponies grow lame after a while. Too rigid. No range.

Add a personal post to your blog. Share your struggles away from blogging. Inspire your readers with a big victory. Talk about your next trip. Be human. Mash it up. Readers trust bloggers who offer a bit more than one dimension. Makes you credible, and easy to relate to.

4: Ride the Pendulum

Kelli and I joked how the pigs would review me like….”1 star…..disappointed….subpar mash but poured slop on my head. Poorly executed.”

Despite my best intentions, the portly pepper pots became so enthused that I couldn’t pour said slop into the basin without showering the piggies a wee bit. Some days the mash was subpar I am sure. Other days I nailed it. Such is life. And blogging.

Some days, you will write what clearly feels like the perfect post. 3 weeks later, the post has 7 social shares and generated a whopping total of 30 visits. But then you publish what you deem to be a mediocre post and you generate ample sales and traffic through said post.

Ya never know.

Be open to the ups and downs of blogging. Ride the pendulum. Everything evens out; highs will be no big deal, lows will be no big deal. Bring peace with you, no matter what. Enjoy the ride. Great success finds the calm, confident, chill, unflappable blogger.

Your Turn

What blogging lessons did you learn from my pig slop experience?

What blogging lessons have you learned recently?