There will inevitably come a time in every blogger’s journey when they want to quit.
If you’re stuck in a time of discouragement and find yourself questioning whether or not you really have what it takes to be a blogger, this post is for you!
When you’re at a blogging low point, here are 20 things to remember about yourself and your blog to help carry you through.
Before we dive in, real quick, please do the following two things:
- Join our female entrepreneur + blogger group on Facebook and let us support you!
- Sign up for my 21-Days To Build A Better Blog Challenge to help you get out of the rut you’re in!
1. Writing gets better with time
Are you discouraged by the unexpected difficulty of writing new content every week?
Remember that writing, like wine, cheese and you, only gets better with time!
The more you write, the better the quality and faster the process.
Stick with it so you can make it to this point!
Even thinking of content ideas gets easier the longer you do it.
2. You are in a field of major growth and constant opportunity
You are a part of the fastest growing career field of the 21st century.
The experience you are getting as a blogger and the things you’re learning about WordPress, social media, email marketing, etc. are going to pay off 100%!
The internet continues to grow dynamically.
If you’re struggling now, just wait for the next innovation that’s coming right around the corner — it could be your big break!
Stay on the lookout for up and coming areas that could be even more profitable.
3. Any other job would require experience — you’re getting yours for blogging now
For any other profession, you would need 4+ years of study to get a degree in order to be considered an authority on the subject you may or may not be using in your job.
For blogging, you don’t need any previous experience to start, but the first several months (or even years) will act as your learning curve any new employee would experience.
Think of this time as your internship, lower-level job position, or college-degree earning period.
4. You are building up your resume for bigger names/brands
Maybe you’re discouraged by the lack of big-name brands on your “collabs” page — don’t worry about it! Consider this period a time of resume building.
You would never expect to be a head chef at a popular restaurant without doing your time at the local burger place flipping patties.
You have to start somewhere! Whatever collaborations you can do are building your portfolio for the future!
5. Blogging is really hard
Don’t forget that you’ve taken on a big job!
Blogging isn’t all fun and games — it requires hard work, long hours, constant attention and intense dedication.
Don’t get down on yourself when things seem overwhelming, every blogger faces that because building a blog is not an easy task.
Believe that you can do it, but don’t be discouraged when you face challenges.
6. There is no one standard of success
If you’re feeling discouraged about a perceived failure, take a moment to consider what you mean by “success”.
In order to be a successful blogger, do you have to make a 6-figure income and attract a follower base of at least 100,000?
Is that really what success looks like?
Is there really a set-in-stone standard of success?
Maybe, if you’re discouraged, you should step back to realize that you may actually be “successful” in many more ways than you realized.
The better questions may be;
- Am I doing what I love?
- Do I meaningful relationships in my life?
- Am I making the world a better place?
- Do I feel fulfilled in my current situation?
- Do I have people that love me?
Rather than;
- What is the # of followers or the amount of $ I need to consider my blog a success?
Because let me let you in on a little secret… it will never be enough.
7. Don’t believe everything you see on social media — everybody feels like you do!
Feeling a little lied to about the glamorous life of a blogger you see on Instagram accounts?
Blogging definitely isn’t always traveling around and eating good food (almost never is TBH), but there is still really great things about it!
The grass isn’t greener on the other side… it’s just a different patch of grass.
Don’t get discouraged by the hard work you have to put in to get the life you’ve always wanted. It will all be worth it as long as you keep at it.
8. You grow more from challenges than success
If you’re facing many obstacles, consider it a blessing!
You’re going to grow a lot more from your challenges than from your successes.
Failure teaches us things we can only learn the hard way and it makes us better people in the long run.
Don’t hurry the road to success, every step along the way is beneficial for you and will make you into the person you need to be when you make it to the finish line!
9. There is no timetable you must follow to start making money on your blog
Who says you have to start making a full-time income after 3 months?
Who says you have to after 3 years?
Whatever timetable works for you, stick to that!
Your life looks different from anyone else’s out there.
Another blogger may make their first $100 after a month of blogging, but there is no one timetable you must follow to make money blogging.
It all depends on you, your competition, your niche, your situation, your schedule, etc.
Don’t feel down because you aren’t meeting someone else’s goals!
Set your own goals on your own timetable!
10. A follower base grows from one share by one person
If you’re feeling discouraged by the low number of shares or followers, just remember that it just takes one person — the right person — to share your content with other people they connect with.
Networks and communities always start with individuals.
Just one share connects you to a whole new group of people.
Every time someone new follows you, they have a whole new world of connections that can be made.
11. Writer’s block is temporary
Every great writer has talked about the times they had writer’s block, but they still managed to publish a novel!
Despite the difficulties that occur when you can’t think what to write, you’ll get there eventually, you just have to start!
If you are having trouble getting the words flowing, try timing yourself to write straight for 3 minutes.
Once you get to that point, if you’re still having trouble, you can take a break, but most of the time all you needed was the motivation to make it past the initial 30 seconds.
Another tip is to brainstorm like crazy. Take a sheet of paper and write down every idea you can think (even the really bad ones).
Once you get past the initial flimsy ideas, your wheels start turning and you think of ones you will end of using.
It. Will. Not. Always. Be. This. Hard.
12. All the blogs you admire took time to build
Every single blogger out there took time to get where they are today.
Every blogger you consider successful was once in the same position as you.
Success doesn’t come overnight for anyone!
If they can do it, so can you!
13. Your blog is supposed to be unique — it’s not going to look like someone else’s
Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in what you admire about other blogs, that you can forget why YOU are blogging and what gifts YOU have.
Your blog isn’t going to look like anyone else’s and your writing voice isn’t going to sound like anyone except for YOU.
Don’t lose sight of yourself!
14. Even if this blog doesn’t go well, it prepares you for your next one
So let’s say your discouragement is valid and your blog really isn’t doing well and the idea you have really isn’t going to work.
So what?
There’s no limit on how many chances you have in blogging.
Even if this blog isn’t going to last, it prepares you for your blogging future anyway!
There are many successful bloggers out there who learned how to do what they do now because they failed several times and learned from each attempt.
Your current situation will only serve to further your future goals.
15. There is no minimum requirement you must meet
Your blog isn’t being graded like some sort of college assignment.
There is no rubric that must be followed or minimum word count to meet for your essay.
Do what works for you and don’t get discouraged if you feel like you’re not living up to a standard.
Blogging is about your personality and your talents — there is no requirement you must be to be considered a “blogger.”
16. The joy of creating something remains no matter how many people read it
Ok, let’s say you’re discouraged because no one is reading your blog.
So what?
- You still created something worthwhile.
- You still put your gifts and talents to use.
- You still made yourself more than an internet consumer by putting content out there.
BE PROUD OF WHAT YOU ACCOMPLISH NO MATTER WHAT.
17. You’ve already gone so much further than the average person
The average person is never brave enough to take this risk.
Congrats! You’ve already made it so much further than so many ever do.
- You were brave enough to start blogging.
- You were confident enough to try.
- You worked hard enough to get here.
That’s amazing! You are certainly above average.
18. Competition is of value
Let’s say you’re discouraged by the presence of tough competition within your niche.
Good! Competition makes everyone better (assuming it’s done well).
Let your competition inspire you to go the extra mile, to write better content, to have higher quality designs, to interact more with your followers, to be more unique and be more dedicated.
When you don’t have competition, you get comfortable with a lesser product.
Competition pushes you to do better.
Don’t get discouraged by it, get inspired by it!
19. You’ll be able to connect with more people later
Vulnerability is relatable.
When people read your blog, they don’t want to see a perfect person with a perfect story, they want to read about how you overcame hardship and hear your advice on how they can do the same.
Your struggles will connect you to your audience better than any success.
20. Your value isn’t determined by the success of your blog
Most importantly, your value as a human is not set by the success of a blog.
- You are valuable because you are alive.
- You are worthy because you are you.
Don’t let any stats or comments or struggles determine your self-value. Be confident!
You know who you are. Your blog cannot determine that.
Oh, and by the way, everyone here at LadyBossBlogger 100% believes in you!
Join our female entrepreneur + blogger support group on Facebook and let us help you!
Bethany Peterson is a junior at Wheaton College (IL) studying Interdisciplinary Studies and Journalism with a minor in Spanish. She has worked in blogging for three years first as a staff blogger for 31Women Ministries, and now as an intern with LadyBossBlogger. She serves as Co-Editor in Chief at the Wheaton Record and hopes to go into journalism after graduation.
Jane says
Thank you for your encouragement today. I always need to keep in mind that quote that I’m going to mess up, but it’s something about being better to fail at something you feel passionate about than succeed at something you don’t.