Blog Update #1 – Blogging Struggles Are Mainly a Mental Game

Are you struggling with your new blog and feeling like you may never turn it into a full-time income? Me too—let’s chat.

I feel like most business owners don’t really believe they can fill those shoes right off the bat. Plus, doing something you love while having financial security and being happy with what you do every day seems a bit like cheating the system.

Thinking of starting your blog as “starting a business” seems so big, so ungraspable, so risky. But if you think of it that way, you can’t just ignore it ever again. You start to believe it could become a business that fuels you, giving you spatial freedom (remote work) and financial security. You imagine it becoming so successful that it can take care of you, maybe even your family and those you want to help.

Having the courage to believe in it—even if it all breaks your heart and becomes a complete waste of money and endless hours of your time—is so effing terrifying.

It’s kind of like falling in love and romanticizing the perfect man, with kisses that electrify your chest and make your cheeks flush. His touch gets you so high, you tremble and feel uncontainable.

Falling for the dream is irresistible. Who cares about reality, honestly?

Let’s get real AND be ridiculous for a minute.

Throwing yourself into the abyss without a safety net feels way more terrifying after 30. Your mortality feels more palpable, right at your fingertips.

Here are all my fears:

Who the hell is going to read all this? Believe it? Dare I say… enjoy it? Maybe even… find it useful? Why should they? What makes me special enough to be the one writing and saying this?

Why should so many people struggle with working enough hours just to buy food or pay rent, while I could make this venture a reality? How much work, belief, and confidence will it take? Is desperately wanting it enough? How do you quiet the voices in your head?

Okay, I wrote it all down—all the demons, the fears, the mean high school girls with their perfect legs and silky hair, all the boys who never texted me back after a date or a kiss, all the teachers who called me mediocre. All the lack of career opportunities, sickness, heartbreak, and most of all, paralyzing fear.

Perspective is Powerful

This is why I fought back with… gratitude?

If you ever take a moment to look at the news, to observe people who can’t wake up a single day without fear of tangible things like bombings, poverty, or disease, your own insecurities and struggles seem so… small, trivial even.

The most important thing is having the courage to believe in your dream, which sounds like a stupid and cheesy line from Brainyquote.com. And do you really want to make your life goal a generic slogan?

Let’s try.

Here’s What Happened:

This is how this journey is developing, and here’s what I’ve learned so far:

If you don’t have confidence, go get some, and then come back with it.

It all happened by accident, really…

I bought some expensive courses to properly start and execute a blog. I mean, anyone can start a blog, but doing it properly takes looooots of patience, money and a steep learning curve.

Then, I read a post by a local food blogger in my city—who joked that he was trying to start a blog (he already had one)—and I casually told him on Facebook, “Oh, you need help? I’ve been working on mine and have lots to share! Here’s the link to my blog.”

Obviously, I didn’t get his joke, but he read my blog and was smitten enough to meet me for coffee and chat for an hour, then hired me to write a couple of articles.

Then, another local website reached out, “I’m a fan of your blog! Can I link your feed to my website?” We connected that way, and later, maybe because of his own admiration, he hired me to write a piece, and then others—now it’s a monthly, if not biweekly, thing.

Then I thought… If they both like my writing, maybe others will too? So, I pitched to other publications, and suddenly, I became one of their writers as well.

So… almost by accident, and without that intention at all, I became a part-time journalistic writer.

Why is this good?

I have refined my writing skills, made some very interesting connections, built great friendships, and gained a lot of confidence in my abilities as a writer.

Why is this not good?

My own blog has taken a backseat while I was furiously writing, researching, and photographing everything for these local pieces. The truth is, time is limited, desire is unlimited, and effort will only get you so far.

My website, on its own, has made a whopping $4.04 total. I signed up for Amazon Affiliates, and I had to make 3 sales in 6 months to avoid getting kicked out.

I made one sale, and I got kicked out. Bought myself a cupcake with the $4.

However, my website has gained local recognition and granted me the ability to secure some local (paying) writing jobs.

Why is this a problem?

Now, I’m referred to as a writer instead of just a bartender, which has done wonders for my spiritual health and sense of self-worth. But the level of commitment to my own page has dwindled.

There’s nothing wrong with bartending, but I’ve done it for years, and the service industry has a way of crushing your spirit and sense of self-worth that other careers don’t—especially when your job is threatened by a “bad review,” and your income is dictated by the weather or the busy season.

I have decided to share my progress every month, which brings some accountability and more encouragement to turn this into a success story.

Current Goals

My current goal is to get accepted to Journey by MediaVine. MediaVine is the better ad agency for monetizing websites through ads, so I’m waiting to gather enough monthly traction to get there.

The other two big ones are AdSense by Google or Ezoic, but they pay pennies on the dollar.

It would make sense to sign up for Ezoic and make some pennies, right? Maybe even enough to buy another cupcake.

Well… here’s the thing: I’m the girl who saves for the Chanel bag, instead of buying a cheap one at Walmart and looking at it with dread every day until the real thing can happen.

I’m the girl who saves for leather shoes that will last years, rather than buying cheap shoes every 3 months and tossing them in the trash when they fall apart.

I wait for that dream man—I don’t settle for a bad kisser with money or a great kisser who can’t keep a job.

I-DON’T-SETTLE.

So how am I checking my progress? Like this:

This is how I’ve grown in the past 16 months with just 20 blog posts on my website. But here’s the amazing part of these metrics:

90% of that growth has happened in the last 6 months. Which is amazing.

Heck… I’d even say the last 3 months.

Sadly, these charts can’t buy me a cupcake…yet.

No Rest for the Wicked

Here are the things I need to do CONSISTENTLY EVERY WEEK to become a full-time writer and say bye-bye to any Yelp motherf… who wastes their life writing, “Oh, my fish could have been fishier, my cocktail could have been fancier, and my server didn’t suck my d*** properly. One star.”

1. Post 2 blog posts a week. Every week.
2. Make pins and schedule them on Pinterest for each blog post.
3. Share posts to other socials.
4. Send an email with new posts at the same time every week.

It’s not complicated—it’s just a lot of work. And if you don’t believe in yourself, you won’t do it. Simple as bread and butter.

So, BELIEVE and DO IT.

This is my first blogging progress update… ever.

I started writing, and I couldn’t stop. I had to tell someone who understood, who was on the same boat, maybe? Who shares the feeling.

Blogging struggles are common among shiny, brand-new bloggers and seasoned bloggers who have let their love dwindle and fade. Those who believed all the stories the traffic stats told them. Who believed their passion and craft no longer had a place on the internet.

I will post progress every month until I reach my goal. Even if I fail a lot, and learn from my mistakes, I’ll be here the whole way—occasionally wiping the tears and sweat off the keyboard.

Sometimes, with a glass of wine next to me.