Being A Blogger is no easy task. To be successful you have to get pretty good at a lot of different things.

We have to write, edit and create posts. We need to learn marketing, graphic design for our social media, social media itself, SEO, email marketing and more. We network, engage and collaborate with our readers and other bloggers. Is it any wonder this blogging lark sometimes takes us into overwhelm and dare I say it stressed.

As bloggers we need to look after ourselves and make sure that our blogging is a pleasure and not a chore. Here I have 12 words of wisdom I want you to remember throughout your blogging journey.

1. Stop Worrying

Worry about anything is a useless thought. We know we all do it. We worry that our blog posts are not good enough or that we haven’t posted enough of them. We worry that we don’t have enough social media followers or visitors to our site. Worrying about anything makes us make rash rather than intelligent decisions. Worrying won’t solve anything but it will stop us from focusing on what’s important in our lives. And sometimes blogging is not the most important thing right now.

Many bloggers worry when they have to take time out for their families needs. Don’t worry, your blog won’t disappear, your followers won’t either and if they do they were not the right followers anyway.

 

2. Don’t Take Things Personally

As Bloggers we are putting ourselves out there and that can be a scary thing for many of us. We are opening ourselves up to being criticised but also championed. The harsh truth is that the majority won’t care. There will be many that champion and support you and there will be a few that criticise you in some way.

This may be done by an ugly comment on your blog or on a social media post. I’ve had several and you know what it stings and makes you question yourself and your work. We have to learn to let it sting, then suck it up and move on. The reality is that the criticism usually comes from people who are competitors or people who just have issues they need a tissue for right now.

 

3. KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid

A life that is full of complications, obligations, and an overwhelming schedule make life more difficult and so much more stressful. Sometimes these complications or obligations cannot be avoided ( We all have friends and family right ) but we need to ensure we are organised with our work and our blogging. Take some time to create a realistic schedule for yourself. The word here to remember is realistic. If you want some help with this take a read of my post on organising your time here.

 

4. It’s Never Too Late

It can seem to many of us, especially new bloggers that we have come to the game too late. The most successful bloggers seem to have started way back when blogging was never even heard of. Yes it does take time to build a successful blog and create a loyal readership but it’s never too late to join the game and no one is going to blog like you do because you are You. The online landscape is ever changing and new things pop up all the time. Maybe you will become the next best thing.

 

5. Action Beats All Emotions

Action is the cure for worry, procrastination, indecision, anxiety, and frustration. Stop over thinking things and do something that will take your blog one step further towards success. Simply starting a new blog post or reading about how to implement something on your site that you have admired on someone else’s site will stop the worry and frustrations you may feel. There is always something to do when you are a blogger and just the act of doing something will stop any angst you are experiencing in its tracks.

 

6. You Can Handle It

As Bloggers there will always be new things that we know we need to do but feel we are not yet ready for. Maybe it’s launching a new product or service or starting a Facebook Group. For me it was videos. Whatever you think you can’t handle, you actually can. You have more strengthens ability than you give yourself credit for.

Maybe it won’t work out quite how you expected or wanted but you will learn from the experience and the next time you will do it better. Do not be afraid to fail. All the best bloggers have a list of failures they learnt from behind them.

 

7. Grace And Gratitude Creates Harmony

Now this is my sign off as many of you will know. But what does it really mean? Grace means I will accept criticism and any kind of disharmony gracefully and will not enter into argument or fight anyone chooses to pick with me. See words of wisdom number 2.

Gratitude is about focusing on what we have rather than what we have not. The ability to do this brings an inner peace which helps me get through the tough times. I actually keep a Gratitude Journal which I write in at the end of every day. It helps me to focus on what went well rather than what didn’t. Even if it’s only that I was grateful for someone making me a coffee whilst I was having a hell of a day, I write it down. If you want a copy of the journal I use you can download it here.

 

8. Trust Your Intuition

Your judgment is definitely important but we should all learn to trust our Intuition more. Intuition is simply our subconscious mind giving us clues based on things already learned. Maybe we read about a new tool to use on our blog and everyone seems to be using it but a little voice inside your head tells you no it will might cause us complications further down the road.

So our judgment tells us it sounds good and the fact is that everyone is promoting it but our Intuition says No. Who do you listen to, judgment or Intuition? We should always listen to Intuition when it decides to speak to us. Very often it doesn’t so go ahead with judgment. But when it does speak, listen to it. If it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. This is important in all aspects of our life, not just blogging.

 

9. Look After Yourself

Self care, you will have heard a lot about this but how many of us actually do it? We may lead very busy lives, Having a job, running a family, blogging and fitting in time for friends and the extended family. But where is the time for you ? If you neglect yourself you will become ill. I know this because I have been there. If you are ill how are you going to look after you family, do your job or anything else for that matter.

Looking after you is not selfish, it means you can do all the things you want to do for others without getting ill. I’m not preaching here but eating properly, taking time out to read a book or do something you enjoy, exercise and sometimes saying No to others will go a long way in helping you to continue helping others.

 

10. Perfection Is Dull

Who likes Mr or Mrs Perfect? Certainly not me. No one is impressed by the know it all. Perfection is actually unattainable because we are human and it will not hurt you to own up to your imperfections in your blogs. In fact, it will make it and you more interesting to your readers. Tell them about your failures and faux Pas as well as your successes.

 

11. Serving Creates Results

We are all guilty sometimes on focusing on ourselves and the results we want for our blogs. It is much better to concentrate on our readers and how we can help and serve them. I know our blogs are our babies but just because we created them doesn’t mean they are ours. They really belong to our readers as it they who will decide on our blogs success or failure. All too often we forget this and then we stop getting the results we wanted. Really think about who your readers are. Try to get to know them a little better.

This can be done through comments left on your site and through your interactions with them through email and social media. Sometimes we think we know our readers and then realise they are totally different to what we imagined. Knowing them will help you to give them more of what they actually want and your results will improve.

 

12. The Little Things Matter

It’s not the big wins or the great accomplishments that really count. It’s the accumulation of little things, along the way that you should celebrate. If you enjoy your small accomplishments then you will enjoy the blogging journey so much more. We are all in a rush to get our blogs successful and making money we forget that we have achieved and learnt some great things along the way.

It is hard to celebrate our accomplishments alone, we all need some kind of validation that we are doing great. Hopefully you have a supportive partner, family or friends but I know this isn’t always the case. Some of us are in a position where no one gets why we are doing it. We may have received enough negative comments that we stop talking about it to anyone in our real world.

That’s where Facebook Groups can be a great help. Posting about our successes in the right groups will get you several congratulatory comments. Bloggers need to stick together. Now sometimes you don’t get any feedback and that sucks.

I personally belong to a whole community based on helping and supporting each other. We are actively encouraged to write success posts and you always get a whole lot of congratulatory feedback from other members. It is called Wealthy Affiliate and if you are interested you can read my post about it here. It’s free to join and it might just be what your looking for.

So there are my 12 Words Of Wisdom for Bloggers. If you only remember a couple of them you will be well on your way to becoming a happier and more productive blogger.

I wish you all the success in the world. If you want to ask a question or just leave me a comment you can do this below.

With Grace and Gratitude

Karen