In this post I’m going to share with you my honest views on being a newbie, wannabe, greenhorn (not sure I could call myself a) blogger. Hint: It’s not as easy as that pretty Pinterest graphic says it’s going to be.
Why did I want to start a blog?
For the past few years I’ve had the burning desire to start a blog or to do something online. Although I really had no idea what. So like most, I did some Google research.
Now, I don’t mean I just typed into Google ‘I want to be a blogger’, (although…I’m sure I did at some point) and I magically got my answers. I spent hours, days, weeks, months typing in all different searches and received many, many, many results back. Names, niches, tag lines, hosting, theme’s, layouts, topics, etc. In fact, I had read so much that my head began to spin.
Talk about information overload!
There is so, so much information out there about starting a blog, all of which have a step by step guide on how to select a domain, sign up for web-hosting, install WordPress and choose a theme. Which is fantastic…but then what!
Your left sitting at your desk staring at a pretty theme you’ve just uploaded, either for free or perhaps you’ve invested and purchased a theme, like I have, several times. (rolling my eyes)
You think to yourself, that was easy, I’m all over this. I can almost smell the sweet success that’s coming my way.
Enthusiasm, optimism, delight and excitement fills your soul. You have a thousand ideas on what you are going to write about and how great it’s going to be. You get lost in that moment of greatness and thoughts of….it won’t be long until I’m blogging from a quaint cafe in Paris, sipping on a glass of Moet and eating a fresh, crusty baguette smeared with the creamiest Camembert cheese you’ve ever tasted, whilst with ease and grace, your fingers lightly dance across the keyboard belting out yet another killer blog post, that is, of course, sure to go viral, as you casually re-arrange your gifted haute couture skirt out of the way.
Then something happens. The feeling changes from fantasy to reality and instead of feeling auspicious you’re now filled with fear, dread, skepticism and an impostor attitude.
The questions come thick and fast, what am I going to write about? Why would anyone read what I’ve written? Who do I think I am? What will my friends and family think? What on earth made me think I could do this? I’m not an expert in anything? Everyone who is successful started years ago, I’ve left my run too late, what was I thinking! What if….
I have been there and in fact I am still there, riding the merry-go-round of the what if thought process. But somewhere along the line, I pulled up my big girl panties and I threw caution to the wind, along with any common sense I had out the window and just started writing content.
Is it killer blog post content? Um…well you can be the judge of that, but I’m going with nah. Is it going to take time to learn how to write and speak to the masses in the way that resonates well? You betcha. What can I do right now? As Dory says in Nemo, ‘just keep swimming’.
And at this point swimming is my goal. I’m barely treading water.
So what’s good about it?
The learning!
When I started a blog, I had no idea how to link social media to my WordPress site. No idea what a plug-in was and I still have no idea on how to use social media to build traffic, how to read Analytics, or even how to make money.
I have so many questions to ask and so many things I want to know, but time is my biggest killer. I work full time, have a partner, dogs and step-kids who play sport or have their own activities.
Trying to schedule in a couple of hours just for me to sit and write, or to research is really, really hard. Yet I am determined. I am going to give this a really good go and to make it a success. Even if it’s just for me.
I’ve learnt so much about myself and about starting up a blog. I am challenged almost every day to the point of tears and frustration, yet when I manage to complete something, I’m overjoyed.
I’ve learned to use different computer programs (still not to their capacity) but I’m getting there and can honestly say that I’m enjoying the experience of just learning something new.
Will it be worth it in the end? Only time will tell, but, all I can say is….you are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream - C.S. LewisClick To Tweet
Even if that dream is writing blog posts in French cafe’s. But until that day happens, I’ll have to stalk the boutique french restaurants and cafe’s in my area and pretend that I’m in Paris until, I hopefully, fingers crossed, manage to do it for real.
So if you are like me and sitting in the wings of the web, then come out of hiding, get yourself a domain name and make the commitment to share your life, hobby, passion or talent with the world. I can’t guarantee that you will be successful, I can only hope, that with patience, perseverance and the willingness to learn and succeed, we can all live the life we truly want and deserve.
PS. Checkout my first steps to becoming a lifestyle blogger here.
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