Things to Consider Before Starting a Blog

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What You Need to Know Before Starting Your Blog

Since I’ve been on my new blogging routine, I am fielding DM’s daily for how to start a blog, or how to stay motivated and disciplined when it comes to blogging. First off it is no easy task, I work pretty much every waking hour. What you put into it really determines what you get out of it, especially if you are running your blog as a business (or planning to)!

You Must Know Your Niche

What kind of content are you going to want to create daily for the foreseeable future? Do you already have content ideas for this topic? Will you be able to easily come up with more? It is so important to hone in on a niche that you can really be happy with and create content confidently that you are proud to share with your audience.

You’ll Have to Stick to a Posting Schedule

Pick a goal and stick with it! I’ve challenged myself to post 3 times a week on my blog and at least once a day on Instagram for a whole year. The Instagram part is easy as long as I am creating for my blog, I have an abundance of photos to share on social media. Consistency is key and success doesn’t come overnight. It takes hard work and long hours before you’ll see big results but the work will pay off if you stick with it!

You Are Your Own Boss

When you are your own boss, holding yourself accountable for efficiently getting things done is a huge reality. As a blogger you are your own boss and it is up to you how you spend your time! I have taught myself to really maximize the free time that I have to get as much done as possible in order to set myself up for success. You also have to be comfortable working alone. Blogging tends to be a one man show much of the time. I put in hard hours on my laptop every single day working on content, contracts, emails, etc. Be prepared for lots of solo work time!

You’ll Work for no Pay (At first)

Ok so I am still kind of in this category. I’ve recently been taking on more paid contracts and work but up until now (for a few years) I have worked for free. I don’t mean work for brands for free (value your time and energy), but put in the hours creating original content on the subject you are passionate about and eventually you will get rewarded for your effort. There is no magic button for getting rich from blogging, it may take a very long time to get your first sponsored post or make an affiliate check. I don’t take my time for granted since I am fortunate enough to not have to work a second full time job to make ends meet (thanks hubby) but it is not uncommon for most bloggers to work in conjunction with blogging full time before they’re able enough money to quit their job and pursue the blog full time! You really have to be passionate about blogging as a hobby before it will become your full time job.

You Have to be Obsessed With Blogging

Are you excited at the thought of researching SEO, social media and creating contracts? Having the energy for blogging where you are still excited to pull out your laptop after a full day’s work at your 9-5 and bust out another 5 hours researching and creating content is a must! My pasGoogle was (and still is) my best friend whenever I have a questions I can’t seem to solve from the standard trial and error. Staying hungry throughout the process will really help propel you into the success you seek! The energy and passion you start with is so important in creating success as a blogger but even more important as you become a more established blogger!

My passion for blogging really started when I began to research the unique career 5 years ago and my curiosity has only grown since then! People ask me all the time how to start a blog, it’s easy, just do it! Jump in head first! You’ll make mistakes and you’ll learn from trial and error, but ultimately you’ll become an expert because you’ve done it all from the ground up. I hope my tips help you in deciding if blogging is right for you and choosing the right time to jump into this exciting territory!

Thanks for reading!
xo

Habits of Highly Successful People

I’ve been taking notes in my phone for years. I have a note for advice from each mentor in my life, I have an on going note of inspirational quotes, I have one for books, music, movies, I have a note for EVERYTHING. Over the past year I’ve started a new, ongoing note of motivation and the tips that I try to live by to set myself up not only to achieve success and the goals I’ve set for myself, but to be the best possible version of myself that I can possibly be. I’ve gathered these notes from various books I’ve read, motivational talks, youtube videos, and just random chats with my husband (also an entrepreneur). All of the notes I’ve taken are things that I believe in and that have helped me to quickly accomplish some goals that I’ve previously thought to be impossible. As I’ve evaluated my life over the past year I’ve decided that I ultimately hope for my family to have financial freedom, to not have to answer to anyone (such as employer), and to be in charge of my own time. Everything that I have written in this post has helped to propel down the path to achieve these things.

I have hesitated to hit the post button on this one because a lot of my tips may be slightly controversial or “extreme” to some people, but I wanted to share for the percentage of people who may need a push in the right direction to propel themselves toward their best life.

Outfit: Sweater // Top // Jeans // Belt // Shoes

TRIAL, Error and Succeed

This is one that I’ve heard from many successful entrepreneurs. You have to try and fail more than a handful of times. If you aren’t at least making an effort to start your business, or work on that idea you had, you’ll never know if you could have actually DONE it. Failing is also one of the best ways to learn. Not only are you learning what not to do, you area learning how to do it better the next time. If you try, fail and then give up you are accomplishing nothing. Try, fail, and then implement your new knowledge when you try again. Chances are you’ll learn something new. Odds are you’ll fail again, but how do you know if you don’t even try?

Example: scroll back to the beginning of my Instagram feed you’ll see my change my theme and style many times over the course of one year. I used trial and error to come up with what works best for me to grow quickly and efficiently on social media. I don’t stick with a theme for long if it is not proving results which is why every month or so you see a new theme on my feed!

Focus On One Task A Day

I always try my best to not fill my day with menial tasks. I prefer to give myself one, big, reachable goal each day whether it’s edit all of my photos from my photoshoot that day or create a blog post from start to finish. I try to prioritize my tasks from most important to least important. The dishes and laundry will be there tomorrow but if you put off that blog post one more day, you’ll put it off forever. I put my mind to one main task and GRIND. IT. OUT. Once it’s done I can focus on my smaller to-do’s. I’m always asking myself how each of my actions will bring me to my ultimate goal, (this is a method of reverse engineering your success) chase after those things with every ounce of your being.

Ignore Useless Information

When Dustin, Stella and I moved in November, we chose to get rid of our TV. We decided we didn’t want to be distracted in the evenings by mindlessly watching The Real Housewives of whatever, and wasting valuable time that we could be spending on our individual projects and working toward reaching our goals. TV is an example of “useless information.” It is important to constantly be filling your mind with information that will help you perfect your craft. There are nights where I take breaks here and there but I still try to read books or listen to podcasts during my down-time that are feeding me important information.

Don’t Re-invent The Wheel

I’ve learned to mimic my mentors and other people who have achieved successes that are similar to my goals. You don’t need to re-create the wheel to achieve success. Teaching yourself all of the minutiae from the ground up takes so much time. Learn from other’s failures and achievements and propel yourself to the top faster using that information.

Mental and Personal Health Is Key

I am constantly working on my personal health and mental state. School pushes you to go to college and get that Monday through Friday, 9 to 5 job but when you switch your mindset to think differently you can LIVE your goals. Don’t give in to the standard, constantly pursue what you want and fight for it. Follow your own path, constantly nourish your mind and throw yourself into your goals. This goes hand in hand with living a healthy lifestyle. I’ve found that when I work out daily, eat healthy meals at home, and am super conscious about what I am putting into my body, that my mind is so much more clear, I am efficient and can work much harder. I am still working on perfecting my routine and I sure love a frozen Twix bar every once and a while, I am by no means perfect, but working toward being more aware of these little things has helped me be much healthier in the long-run.

Don’t Waste Time

One piece of knowledge that I gained from one of my most important mentors is that there is never a “good time” for anything. Successful people waste no time in getting started, there is no such think as the right time and there are no good excuses. Timing will never be perfect and you will end up waiting forever and never get anything done! Start now, and don’t look back. You won’t regret it!

Do Not Associate With People You Don’t Emulate

Only surround yourself with people you strive to be like. Make it your goal to gather friends and mentors who are better than you, achieving higher goals and can teach you something new. A lot of my goals may seem crazy or unattainable to most people. Constantly think about your goals, live your goals, surround yourself with people who embrace your goals and support you achieving them.

If you have a tip to share that has worked for you, I want to hear about it! Leave me a comment below. Ultimately what I’ve decided is that if I can’t believe in myself I will never achieve anything. I have learned that I must believe I can achieve my goal, no matter how huge or outlandish… if I don’t I will wholeheartedly fail, and I have many times in my past! Once I changed my mindset and started to live by these tips, I have been creating success for myself that I never thought possible! I still constantly reference the note in my phone with all of these tidbits to keep myself on track. It is absolutely not an easy process, but it is necessary to stay on the path to achieve what I want in life.

xo