Okay. We’re QUITE far along on Inspiration Information For Bloggers. The finish line is in sight, in fact. It’s time to work out once and for all your plans-to-improve and where you are headed (or to celebrate how happy you are with where you are now!)
Often things get in the way of our blogging progress. Time, confidence, comparison, skill level, writer’s block, boredom and fear of failure may rouse their heads and slow you and your blog down. Sometimes fear of success slows us down, even. Or fear of being too exposed. I get both of those, I really do.
If progress and growth are what you are seeking (and I am guessing they are because you are doing this course!) then it’s a great idea to have a think about what’s getting in your way.
Write a list. It might be the grossest list you write this week, but get it out. Saying this stuff out loud is a REALLY good idea, because it helps to UNSTICK you and often the things that are slowing you down or holding you back are totally fixable, if you only take the time to think about that fix!
Comparison, for instance… A good way to avoid the whole comparison trap is to simply stop reading other blogs for a while. Spend your time, instead, reading books or quality articles in ace magazines. You don’t have to avoid others’ writing altogether, but step away from the internet for a while and foster good writing (or making) vibes from elsewhere.
If it’s fear of success (or failure) that’s slowing your progress, have a little talk to yourself about that. Why are you feeling that way? What’s the worst/best thing that could happen? Who are your trusted pals? Can they talk you through this stuff? Chances are that if you are feeling this way about blogging, it may also be seeping into other areas of your life. Take some time and space to figure this stuff out so that you can thrive and move on.
Perhaps you don’t have the skills to blog in the way you want? Well that’s totally okay. When I signed a contract to write my first book, I had no real idea of how to go about that. I learnt and trained myself up as I went. AND I trusted that I could get the job done and that I didn’t have to be GREAT from the get-go. I knew that drive and passion and hard work would get me over the line and it totally did. That book was a best-seller! Apply those ideas to your blog. Learn the new things you need to. Get to work!
SO. That’s just a LITTLE bit of helpful advice on some common hurdles. I want you to think about YOUR hurdles and if you are okay with the status quo, or if you want to make some changes and move ahead. (Note that if you are happy, that’s all that matters! If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!)