I'd be lying if I said that I never felt bad about my blog. I actually spend a lot of time feeling like my blog / Instagram could be better and it does sometimes get me down. It's hard sometimes being in this blogging industry to not get caught up in the hustle and bustle of marketing and making 'something' of your blog. I work bloody hard for the content that I produce and if I said that all I wanted to do was keep this as a hobby then again I would be lying. I'm not an idiot, of course I would love to make this a career but I also know that it's not going to happen for me over night. I absolutely love my blog and writing my posts and I wouldn't change anything that I've done so far or any of the experiences I've had because of it but sometimes it can be hard to keep motivated. The blogging world is expanding day by day and with so many bloggers feeling like the community is becoming 'saturated' with bloggers I've decided to list my 'Top 5' tips for keeping motivated whilst blogging!
1 - Stop comparing yourself to everyone else. This is one that I really struggle with. I'm a massive supporter of fellow bloggers and their success but at the same time I can't help but look at their successes and compare them to myself.. "I've been blogging longer than them, why aren't X brand contacting me?" "I have more followers than X, how come they're getting that opportunity and I'm not" - They're things that each of us have thought at least once in our blogging journey but it's not always healthy to feel down on yourself like this. You might have opportunities that another blogger hasn't had and they might think these things about you, it's all about loving yourself and what you've got going on. Try and ignore everything else that could get you down. Concentrate on you and your blog.
2 - Keep your content fresh. We all get stuck in a rut sometimes and it can often be good to change things up a bit. Instead of sitting in your room and blogging how about you get up and go down the road to a coffee shop? I know that changing my writing location can sometimes have an effect on my inspiration and it's good to just get out let the new content flow freely. I always know when I'm struggling to write a post that a bit of time away from the page is best for me. Sometimes I just do something else for an hour or two and go back to it with fresh eyes and sometimes I just need to get out and write in a different location.
3 - Take a break; Don't feel like you have to post. It's okay if you can't put a post up on your 'usual' posting day. I know again that this is another of my biggest issues. I always feel like my readers are eagerly expecting a post to be up on X day of the week and I feel like I've let everyone down if I don't manage to post. At the end of the day it's just a blog post and it's not the end of the world. We all have lives outside of blogging and sometimes that can get in the way. Yes I love blogging and yes, I don't want to let anyone down but at the end of the day it's just words on page and sometimes 'real life' takes priority.
4 - Just remember that even if you're having a down day someone out there does appreciate your hard work. I've seen a lot of this lately, bloggers needing a bit of a 'pick me up'. If you need a little bit of love just pop a tweet out and interact with other bloggers. The blogging community (especially the beauty and fashion ones) can be the nicest thing out there when you're needing a little bit of loving. There's nothing worse than feeling down on yourself and we've all been there and we're definitely there for you when your needing encouragement.
5 - Finally my last tip is just breathe. Blogging is not the be all and end all of the world. Although for a lot of us it's a hobby that we are really passionate about we still need to remember that it's sometimes not worth the stress. It's okay to take a break, it's okay to fall out of love with blogging and it's okay to not feel to 'into it' anymore. The less pressure you put on yourself the happier you'll be and the happier your blog will be. So just sit back and relax and don't take it all too seriously. Once you're happy within yourself you'll find that the creativity will all of a sudden just hit you and you'll have the blogging bug again.
I hope these tips have helped, I know I've definitely struggled over the last couple of months with my blogging mojo and motivation. Let me know in the comments if you've got any tips for staying positive whilst blogging, I'd love to know what you do to keep on top of things.
This is great! I have been reading other blogs for years, however I never subscribed or really have been a big part of social media (Usually just looking, never participating) And now, when I started my own blog and I know myself that I am far behind... I need to learn so much about blogging. But still somehow everyday I am thinking, why isn't it going faster... and the subscribers come to me. And I keep thinking it's too late, there are a lot of blogs without mine. Sometimes it is hard to shooo these thoughts away. Thanks! Great post!
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