New bloggers go through it. Old bloggers go through it, but probably won’t admit it. It may not happen often, but it does happen.
What am I referring to?
Your confidence as a blogger.
Starting out, most would-be bloggers have that passion and drive to write blog posts everyday. Then it goes to every other day. Then, a couple times a week. Now, you’re looking at the site once a month. Next thing you know, you forget about the blog altogether.
This happened all because you lost your confidence in blogging.
When I see my writing alongside heavy hitters, like Men with Pens , ProBlogger and others is encouraging. You will start to think that “Yeah. I can do this.” If it’s nothing else, it’s an ego boost. And who the hell doesn’t need an ego boost? Hell, we’re writers. Some of us are geeky, tech writers. We were the ones in school who didn’t fit in with the rest of the cool kids, but we studied hard. We didn’t attend the big parties either because our parents didn’t let us go or we weren’t “people persons.” Fast forward to now. We’re the cool kids and everybody showers us with approval. (Well, you all. Not me. I’m still that geeky kid in a grown-up body.)
Confidence comes not from always being right but not fearing to be wrong.- Peter T. Mcintyre
We as bloggers and internet entrepreneurs don’t know it all. Your readers will be the first to remind you of that. No matter what niche or industry you’re in, there is always something new to learn. I would almost guarantee that the “blogging gurus” learn something new everyday. The way they write, you would never know it unless they were forthcoming and transparent and told you. I’m no expert and I have no problem confessing I don’t know everything.
Here are 3 quick tips to help with your confidence in blogging:
- Subscribe to your own blog in an RSS reader, like Google Reader. I do this. Why? You really should want to see your blog how other sees it. You are really invested and see it more than anyone else. It gives me a fresh perspective when I see my blog in Google Reader.
- Change how you write. Some experts suggest you start writing the post first. The reasoning I’ve heard behind that is, the post may end up being different from what the original idea. I tend to disagree. I usually start with my title, first. My reasoning is that I need a main idea to focus on. If I just start writing without a goal, I could end up just about anywhere. These are just two schools of thought to get your thought juices flowing. Try both and see which works better for you.
- Blog to network; not to make money. While you can make a few dollars here and there with your blog, it should not be the focus of your residual income strategy. Now, if you’re using your blog to sell and promote your own products, then that’s a different story and that will greatly increase your confidence. Once you figure out why you’re writing, then you’ll realize that it’s not a chore.
