Paekakariki, New Zealand
Most new bloggers deeply fear the process of beginning to blog.
Blogging feels scary.
Where do you begin?
How do you begin?
What if no one reads your blog?
The questions, doubts and anxieties seem to flood your mind like a torrential downpour. No one enjoys this incessant inner shrieking at the outset. We have all been there. At least, I have been there. I bet you have too.
In truth, rather than face these fears most people decide not to begin blogging in the first place. The ones who start blogging usually struggle, fail and quit fast after beginning to blog, being weighed down by their fears like an impossible to shake – and break – anchor.
Blogging is not for the feint of heart.
Everyone learns this lesson quickly at the beginning.
Running a blog involves far more than most folks assume.
This ain’t just writing and publishing whatever happens to be on your mind for that specific day.
Traveler
Do you see that featured image?
That is me playing with a pooch in New Zealand.
But before I circled the globe through blogging I was an excited but terrified new blogger.
I know exactly how it feels to be really scared to blog.
The only advice I can offer is this: do what you fear doing. Begin blogging.
Does that sound too simple?
I can assure you it is the way. Everyone needs to leave their blogging comfort zone to overcome intimately personal fears trapping them inside of their comfort zone.
Newbie bloggers; the only thing to do as a newbie is to nudge into fears. Since you fear:
- people criticizing you and your blog
- wasting your time with blogging
- putting yourself out there
- sharing too much
- sharing too little
- spending money on your blog
- sprinting into fear
- baby-stepping into fear
- making a huge mistake by blogging
- nobody cares about you and your blog
You may even become a successful blogger down the road, and current friends, and family, will not like you when you make more money and experience more internet fame and help more folks, because you will seem out of touch.
Weird one; but it does happen from time to time.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Baby Step into Fear
Nudge into fear. If you fear being on camera doing live videos, broadcast a live video pointing the camera at a different subject. Nature. People. Your dog. Your cat. Nudge into the fear of doing live videos, eat it up a little bit and spit it out. Feels good, right? Baby steps.
What to Do if You Fear Beginning to Blog
Keep nudging into your new blogger fears. Feel the fears. Release the fears. Conquering fears elicits the sensation of feeling better. Feeling better inspires you to:
- write your first blog post
- broadcast your first live video
- write your first comment on a high traffic blog
- promote a top blogger on your blog, on Twitter or on Facebook, linking to their blog and tagging them
Blogging is mindset. Nudging into fear is not a mindless process. Sometimes, nudging into fear feels sloppy. Broadcast Live on Facebook for the first time and see what happens; I betcha you hold your breath, like diving underwater.
Tension floods your body and mind. Rigidness seizes your being. That is fear. Feel it. Look past it. Move along.
Nudge into newbie blogging fears. Meditating helps. Practice being aware of your thoughts and feelings. Slow down. Calm down. Be with your fears to move along these imprisoning emotions.
Blogging is fun and freeing. Begin creating helpful content. Become more fearless. We need more fear-huggers in the blog-o-sphere.
The ultimate challenge is to develop the skill of being comfortable with being uncomfortable. Honing this skill edges you into blogging even as the ego emits its raucous shrieks.
Anyone can make newbie blogger excuses.
Anyone can cop out on blogging because it seems too uncomfortable to engage in such a challenging venture.
I do not blame newbies for being afraid. I vividly recall the same feeling a long time ago during my beginner blogger days.
Gradually, I became comfortable with being uncomfortable. I learned how to embrace discomfort to move forward into greater fun, freedom and expansion.
Bloggers who become comfortable with being uncomfortable blast through excuses to lay a rock solid foundation for their blogging campaign.
The process feels messy at times but it always worth it.
The trick is to recall why you blog. Tie the reasons to fun and freedom. Allow these emotions to guide you through the obstacles that all new bloggers face on their fledgling blogging journey.
Go ahead.
Blog.
Ease forward.
Edge onward.
You can do it!
