So You Want To Start A Blog - Blog Like You Mean It

Today I am going to conclude my So You Want To Start Blog Series, at least for now.  I have really enjoyed writing these posts and I have more ideas, I am just ready for a break.  At the end of this post I will provide the links for all the other posts in case you missed any along the way.

As kind of an all inclusive post I am calling this one "Blog Like You Mean It"  I know that there are  a million different reasons we have started blogs or read different blogs, I know that we all have different goals with our blogs and I know that some bloggers just blog for fun while others pay their rent from their blogging income #dreamsjob.  Whatever boat you are in I think that blogging takes an insane amount of time and energy and it is important to value yourself and your time and bring intention into your writing.

Six Ways To Blog LIke You Mean It.

 

1. Be Intentional

As my dear friend Jillian Michaels told me a few times (at during a workout video) bring intention to your workout and every part of your life. Why do something and put a lot of effort into it if you do not put your full effort into it?  Try your best, make yourself proud of what you produce, make your mom proud of what you produce so she will share it on her Facebook with the moms who run Facebook now.  Bring intention into your writing, advertising, and your work and you will see it take off.  Others recognize hard work and effort too and appreciate it.

2. Be Creative

I am not going to lie it is hard to think of something to write about every day.  It is hard to think of ways to feature your sponsors that is different and special.  It is hard to come up with a blog design. Yes all of these things are difficult and next to impossible if you do not allow yourself to be creative.

I am one of the least artistically creative people ever.  I have clear visions for things and then I have no way to implement them.  Where I lack creativity artistically I think I make up for it with my ideas and words.  I love coming up with new posts, link ups, or sponsorship options.  I have some really big ideas for later down the road that I would love to implement too.

The thing about creativity is that you have to make time for it.  I have gotten in the habit of turning off my car radio one day a week and letting my mind wander as I drive to and from work.  Honestly, this has been one of my favorite ways to come up with new ideas. I also have cut back on my TV watching and use that time to write, clean or walk around.  The more I am out in the world doing things the more creative I feel

3. Be Open

Sometimes we can get too comfortable with a way we are doing things and it is hard to see that it could be even better.  Or we might see that it can be better but we do not know what to do to take it to the next level.  As with our lives sometimes it is easier for others to see what can be done to improve something.  If this is the case we need to be able to put our ego aside and let others help us.  Some of the best things I have done to just get myself out of a rut is to network and talk with other bloggers.  Happy Hour with Erin gave me a ton of energy to love blogging and Orange County Blogging Meet Ups always lift my spirits.

4. Do Not Be Afraid

Yes I just quoted the Bible at you in the context of blogging, sorry Jesus.

Try new things, make a new button, reach out to a blogger you admire, email a friend and tell them about your blog, put yourself out there.  Sure there are people who may not like something you do and may criticize you, but they probably are dealing with their own issues.  Sure it can stink when you come up with a link up and you are the only one who posts a link #personalexperinece, but the good news is in the land of the blogs everything changes in a day.  Take a risk, if it worked keep on that track, if it did not tweak some things and try again.

5. Be Yourself

It can be daunting to try and figure out how to get people to read your blog.  One thing that I know is tempting is to try and emulate other bloggers you look up.  Obviously they are doing something right with their thousands of page views and followers maybe you can do what they are doing.  I will just say that trying to be anyone other than yourself will only lead to frustration. I think people are smart and will see through your writing.  It will not have a strong and confident voice, and it will be easy to ignore because someone else is already doing that, and maybe doing it better.

Figure out your style, which will take time and posts that are hit and miss, and just embrace who you are.  I love posting things that make me laugh and hopefully make others laugh.  I have tried serious and I have tried wedding posts (just kidding) but they do not feel true to me.  I have to love what I am putting out there and just let the world accept it.

6.  Be Joyful

So writing negative rants all the time might be fun (maybe if they are all a joke), but if you are seriously that upset every. single. day. you might want to consider a therapist. Blogging is a lot of editing of your life and only letting people see what you want, and for most of us that is the happy parts.  I am a firm believe that this is OK.  It is important to talk about things that make us upset or mad or are wrong with the world, it is also important to talk about how to change those things.

I also think the more joy you have in your life the more resilient you are to those things that come up that try and steal your joy.  Whenever I can in my life and on my blog I choose joy and light.  It is easy to be dark and heavy, it is hard to be light (Just ask my chair)



Links for Posts in This Series 

Before You Write One Word

Basic Blog Design

Content

Social Media

Be The Blog Reader You Want To Have

Sponsoring Other Blogs

Time Management

Accepting Sponsors

Blog LIke You Mean It