So often, someone with a genuinely good blog and huge amounts of potential gives up. If only they had fully appreciated that it is more a waiting game than anything else. Persistence is your best friend in the early months. I strongly believe that if you create quality content, employ sensible marketing strategies and persist in your efforts, you cannot fail to succeed.
I am willing to bet that many of the most successful bloggers out there have considered giving up. In my experience, the majority admit to just that. That comes as no real surprise — it is a funny old business. Success in blogging does not follow a steady curve. It only takes a mention from a high-traffic fellow blogger to kick-start your ascent to popularity.
I am sure that many six figure internet marketers have at times considered their endeavours fruitless. Now they are hugely successful. They were once in your shoes, and now they have moved onwards and upwards. What is to stop you from doing the same?
A Call To Action
If you are reading this then you may already be running on fumes. In order to fill the tank back up, we need to explore two key issues:
- Why have you lost your enthusiasm?
- How can you get it back?
Any battle-hardened blogger out there will tell you that blogging can be a thankless task. There are thousands of articles on the internet that offer advice on how to attract traffic and build a loyal readership. However, all of that advice is completely irrelevant if your perspective is out of whack.
There are three broad areas that I want you to explore: internal adjustments, external adjustments, and practical adjustments. I will go into all three in detail.
1. Internal Adjustments
In approaching the many situations you face in life, you will have a certain mindset.
If you have a healthy mindset then you needn’t be reading this article, as you already have great enthusiasm for what you are doing. However, if not, you will need to make some internal adjustments so that your mindset is correctly calibrated.
Consider the following:
- If you lack direction, then how do you know at which point you will be satisfied?
- If you lack realism, how will you ever be satisfied?
Direction
Where are you going and why? Have you laid out a clear path that you intend to follow? If you are blogging aimlessly, then you are bound to lose enthusiasm. You have to know your endgame and you have to set goals, otherwise you will never have a sense of forward motion.
So, if your endgame is to quit your job, I suggest that you consider starting by creating a blog that centers on your passion in life, whatever that may be. That would certainly be a step in the right direction. So set that as a goal.
Once you have reached that goal and your blog is up and running, it is time to set the next one – let’s say, to reach 1,000 subscribers. Chris Guillebeau believes that 1,000 subscribers gives you a great launch pad for your first paid product. Create that product. That’s your third goal completed. Keep going.
The above doesn’t have to be your path — it can be whatever you want it to be.
If you break down your Endgame into manageable, shorter term goals, everything will seem so much easier and your enthusiasm will be self-sustaining.
Realism
There is absolutely no point in setting goals if they are overly-ambitious.
Don’t get me wrong – I am all for ambition. I love ambition. But your ambition has to be tempered by a healthy dose of realism in order to bring about a positive effect.
For instance, if your first milestone is to grow a 20,000 strong email list in three months, then quite frankly, you are almost certainly doomed to failure before you have even started. A lack of realism is as big a cause of a loss of enthusiasm than setting no milestones at all.
So temper your ambition with realism. Set big goals, but make sure that they are actually within touching distance.
2. External Adjustments
External adjustments are all about setting up social checks and balances to ensure that you do not stray from your desired path. These are a little more intimidating than internal adjustments, but can be very powerful. I would recommend that you employ them all, and screw the consequences.
Socialize
“But I already do!”, you might say. Of course you do – but I am talking about a specific type of socialising. I want you to introduce yourself to your niche. Get involved with people. Search out the top blogs and start commenting. Make yourself a known entity.
The fact is, you do not have to be alone in your endeavour. There are many people out there who:
- are trying to do the same as you, and
- want what you have to offer.
The first group does not need to be your enemy – make friends! Your blog needs to be all about what you bring to the table, which is exactly what nobody else can replicate. If you execute that well, then you have no competition, as no one can be you.
Sign up to Twitter, Facebook and forums, and find likeminded people. Introduce yourself, but don’t force yourself on people. I never advocate forced marketing on social media or blogs. Simply make yourself known, add value, and good things will come of it.
Create Accountability
There is nothing quite like accountability to galvanize you into action.
It can be employed in all walks of life, from dieting, to fund-raising, to learning a foreign language. Tell people what you are aiming to do, and you will be far more determined to do it. That is exactly what I am doing with this blog.
So, set an Endgame and goals as above. Then tell everyone – friends, family, your dog — what you are trying to do.
Yes, this can backfire. But hopefully, if you have employed realism, then it will not. And the massive benefit will be the increased drive to reach your Endgame. I don’t know about you, but I value highly my ability to follow through on things, and as such, accountability provides me with a great deal of motivation.
If you want a real boost in terms of accountability, consider creating or joining a mastermind group.
3. Practical Adjustments
These are tangible actions that you can start on right now. And if you are feeling underwhelmed by your situation, I suggest that you do.
Get Away
Take a walk to clear your head. Even if it’s raining. Especially if it’s raining. Have a swim. Or sit down in a quiet room and think. Just get away from blogging.
The activity needs to give you time with yourself. You will be amazed at what kind of positive thoughts can surface when you give yourself the opportunity to clear your mind.
Generate Enthusiasm With The Passion Of Others
There are resources all over the internet that can galvanise you and set you back onto the path of enthusiasm. I couldn’t tell you what they all are. However, if your field is internet marketing and/or blogging (which it likely is if you find yourself on my blog), then I can happily recommend the following:
- 279 Days To Overnight Success by Chris Guillebeau
- 18 Months, 2 Blogs, Six Figures by Corbett Barr
- Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk
- Pat Flynn’s income reports
Be sure to ration these out. In my experience, reading more than one of these in a sitting tends to leave you feeling rather overwhelmed!
Confide
Talk to someone who you trust. Explain your situation – your frustrations, your lack of enthusiasm and drive. Getting someone else’s perspective on your situation can often be very revealing.
If You’re Still Struggling…
If you still lack any enthusiasm for blogging, I would advise that you take a few days off. By that, I mean that you do nothing connected with your online presence at all. No blogging, no tweeting, no reading of other websites connected to your interests. Get away from it all.
See how you feel after that. You may come back refreshed, in which case, you should then action the above things, to reinforce that fresh enthusiasm.
If you’re still lost at sea, then fortunately I can still help. Check out my article, Thinking Of Giving Up? Read This. And of course, you can always contact me. You are not alone!