The truth about blogging for one month
I’ve done it.
I have been blogging for just over 1 month. Yay! I’ve decided to write about it because I love celebrating my wins no matter how small. Truth be told this isn’t the first blog I have ever started. I’ve created many over the years. Many of my hopes and dreams are lost amongst the forgotten URLs.
So maybe you’re like me
- Have you ever had a burst of energy at 3 a.m. in the morning that makes you feel like you can achieve anything you put your mind to?
- You think… ‘Yes I WILL start a blog and I’ll write in it every day’.
- ‘My blog will be amazing and I’ll make 6 figures and I’ll be financially free by 30’
- ‘This is my one true dream and I KNOW I have what it takes to be consistent
So you binge-watch every YouTube video you can find about blogging and frantically search ‘how to start a blog’ on Google until you’re 10 pages deep.
You create a WordPress, blogger or Wix account and start your journey towards your destiny.
But then life gets in the way
And it’s actually quite hard writing a blog post… especially because all the blogging gurus are telling you to write posts that are 2000-3000 words long for SEO reasons (whatever that means).
So now you need to understand SEO… phrases such as keyword search, Yoast, and Google Analytics are thrown around.
But you also need to know graphic design and/or photography and/or how to source stock images
However, that limiting core belief starts to rear its ugly head: ‘I’m not good enough’ it says.
Then back to social media marketing because now you need to decide if you should use Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter. All of them, some of them or none of them. The choice is yours.
It all feels a bit too much.
A bit too overwhelming so you start to slow down the pace of your blog posts until
One day
You just stop.
Life goes on, school, university, full-time job and accumulated responsibilities. Your domain name expires and just like that your blog is forgotten. Until you get the next burst of energy at 3 a.m.
I lived out that story so many times, over and over again promising myself that ‘this time will be different’.
However, this time things are different.
And I’m not just saying that for comedic effect.
I know things are different because this is the longest and most consistent blog I have had to date. I have a schedule, post ideas and long-term plans that aren’t fuelled by my chaotic 3 a.m. anxious energy.
I’m quite content with life and I am not using blogging as an escape. I’m using it as a channel for my creative energy and my need for personal growth.
I’ve always felt like blogging was my destiny but back then I wasn’t mature enough to be consistent with anything. I was what you would call an all-or-nothing type of girl.
In the past, I existed in a constant scarcity mindset and was scrambling at anything and everything to help me feel safe. I was in survival mode for many years and blogging was never going to be a priority in comparison to the security that a university education and a proper career could provide.
Maybe Maslow’s hierarchy of needs was right.
Now that I have ticked off the physiological, safety, love/belonging and self-esteem needs one by one (through blood sweat and tears, might I add), I am finally able to self-actualise by fulfilling the things my heart truly desires.
Like starting a blog and being consistent with it.
Why I started ‘The Valued Life’ blog
- I started this blog because I have been on one hell of a healing journey and I want to share my knowledge with other people so that they can transform their lives too. I went from being someone insecure, anxious, depressed and worst of all… people-pleasing to being someone confident, secure and relatively disciplined. I put in a lot of hours trying to be a better version of myself and it paid off 1000%. There’s no point in hoarding valuable information if it has the power to make even one person’s life better.
- I also have a deep passion for psychology and self-development so blogging is a method of consolidating the knowledge I have gained from books and formal education. It also gives me an excuse to research more psychology and psychotherapy scientific literature using my university alumni library account. Disclaimer: I am a nerd.
- My day job as a project manager means that I like to plan ahead… well ahead. Therefore, this blog will form the basis of my future holistic psychotherapy and life coaching private practice once I complete all of the necessary training and accreditation.
- Another reason I started this blog is because I have big goals: I want to write a book about life. I used to love writing but then writing became a chore because I only associated it with revision and essays as I passed through the higher education system. This blog is a tool to reignite my passion for writing and to help me come up with ideas for my future book.
- Furthermore, I want flexibility in my lifestyle and I want to be an entrepreneur. Blogging is just part of the equation.
Did I achieve my 1 month blogging goals?
The simple answer: YES!
My one and only goal was to publish a blog post once a week.
I achieved that goal. I’m a realistic girl, you see.
What are my 1 month blogging stats?
I have had a total of 16 page views which is honestly 16 more than I thought I would have. I have done zero promotion and yet somehow my posts have reached people in the USA.
I’m not expecting to see a rise in page views until I reach 6-12 months of blogging.
What have I done in my 1 month of blogging?
I have:
- Listed over 65 potential blog topics
- Created a wordpress.com account accidentally
- Set up a website on the self-hosted WordPress site using Bluehost and then changed to Hostinger
- Selected a broad niche: self-development and values-based living
- Acquired the relevant social media handles
- Published 5 blog posts (one a week)
- Tried and tested a few free themes and customisation options
- Completed a beginner blogging course on Udemy
- Found free stock photos on Pexels
- Conducted some market research
- Procrastinated by watching hours of YouTube videos about blogging
- Set up Google Analytics
- Carried out basic research on SEO
I’m very proud of myself because I have been productive despite holidays and sickness occupying much of August. I achieved my goals and even had time to tick off a few additional things. I wanted to focus on being consistent above anything else because blogging is a slow burn and I am not expecting to see any return on this side hustle for at least a year or two.
What do I like about blogging so far?
- I like the fact that I am working on a long-term goal outside of my traditional career. It feels like I have a hidden superpower and I’m in a secret cave honing my skills only to emerge and slay everyone. Slay in the positive… ‘You go girl’ kinda way obviously. I’m not trying to condone violence on this blog.
- I enjoy writing and researching different topics about life challenges and solutions. It’s helped me to become even better at signposting helpful information about mental health and wellbeing which I think is a useful skill to have.
- It’s a satisfying hobby. Just me and my laptop – a match made in heaven.
- I am learning new skills every single day. WordPress used to scare me. It just seemed too clunky and overcomplicated. However, I feel like I’m starting to get the hang of it now and it’s not as scary as I first thought. I still have a lot to learn but for now, me and WordPress are friendly acquaintances. Moreover, I have learnt a lot about SEO even though my knowledge is just about scraping the surface.
What don’t I like about blogging?
- Everything is time-consuming! It takes me so long to write a blog post. Literally days. I know some people can bang out a 2500 blog post in 2 hours without breaking a sweat but that’s not me. Once I have written a blog post, I then have to find relevant stock images or create new images in Canva which takes FOREVER. I don’t have a graphic design bone in my body so I don’t even know what looks good. I’m just hoping for the best. Then I try to make all of the changes that the SEO WordPress plugin recommends. The perfectionist in me doesn’t want a score less than 80 so I keep amending the blog post despite not fully understanding what I am doing.
- Imposter syndrome is annoying. Sometimes I read other people’s blogs and I wonder why anyone would ever take the time to read mine. Whenever I hear that annoying little voice I make a conscious decision to counter it with positive affirmations and evidence of people choosing to listen to what I have to say. I feel comfort in the fact that I am not the only person struggling with imposter syndrome.
- Perfectionism is trying to wrap its dirty claws around me. It’s hard starting a new blog because my skill level is nowhere near the level I want it to be. I want my blog to be beautiful and set up with 100 posts ready to go. It’s just not realistic. So every day I just have to chip away at my blog knowing that one day I will get it to look how I want it to look. It’s just unfortunate that today is not the day and neither is tomorrow… or the day after. I’ll get there eventually.
So what are my goals for next month (September)?
I’m all about SMART goals baby:
- Continue to post once a week
- Buy a good quality theme that is easily customisable and comes with tech support
- Set up a privacy policy and terms and conditions
- Learn how to create and edit basic feature images using Canva
These goals are achievable and if I don’t achieve any of them this month then something has gone horribly wrong. I’m taking things relatively easy in September because in October (month 3) I’m going to turn the heat up significantly.
Gratitude log
- I am so happy that I have decided to take a step towards my greatest future.
- I am grateful for all of the failed blogs I’ve started in the past. May they rest in peace
Quote of the week
Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right
Henry Ford
If you made it all the way down to the end, why not check out some of my other blog posts
- Failing my A Levels was the best thing to ever happen to me
- How to be your best self in times of uncertainty
- Addicted to self help? Break out of the addiction cycle now