“When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It’s to enjoy each step along the way.” – Wayne Dyer
There are millions and millions of blogs in the world today, but how many of them are worth it?
How many of these blogs are generating any income for the blogger, or providing the blogger with some form of satisfaction in their life, or even still active?
Unfortunately, the majority of blogs don’t fill these categories. The majority of blogs are left by the wayside, too time-consuming for the once-enthusiastic blogger who dreamed of making thousands from blogging.
Although there are an increasing number of blogs out there who are generating enough income and ‘life satisfaction’ for the blogger to thrive on, the current trend is that blogging isn’t a ‘safe’ option for a career.
In fact, blogging isn’t really touted as the answer to anything these days. It’s not a consistent high-earner, it’s too time-consuming to be a hobby, and it’s too technical and cold for those who prefer to connect with people away from clicking ‘Like’ and ‘Tweet’ buttons.
So why do people blog?
Why People Blog
There are a wide variety of blogs today, from cooking recipes to social media gurus, and from funny-looking cats to psychology. But these blogs generally have one thing in common – their reason for existence. The reason why so many people set up a blog in the first place falls within a very small circle:
- They want to connect with people around the world and meet new friends
- They want to share what they’ve learned about their chosen topic with others
- They want to make a lot of money
- They want to help others in ways they wouldn’t be able to otherwise
Look at this list now and ask yourself: which reason best describes me?
To help you out, I’ll use myself as an example.
My Love Affair With Blogging
I first set up my very first blog because I wanted to connect with loads of different people. I also had been a member of a few self-help forums and spiritual forums, and wanted to learn more about this ‘online community’ buzz that was repeatedly drawing me in, especially as I enjoyed the conversations with like-minded people.
So I read a couple of blogs to get me started. After a short period of time I came across an eBook called ‘Cloud Living’ by Glen Allsopp. In this book, Glen explained how to set up a website and a blog, and described why they were worth the time and effort to do so.
I decided that this was something I wanted to do, and opted to try this thing called ‘blogging’ first. I figured a blog would be the perfect place to journal my thoughts, connect with new faces, and have a little fun.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have any fun to begin with. My initial ‘niche’ was actually three niches – writing, learning, and personal development. I thought if I wrote a post on each, people would appreciate the diversity and versatility of my blog and come rushing back to read more. I thought wrong.
After a while, I realised that what I was doing wasn’t going to get me anywhere I wanted to be, so I changed my tactics and slowly began to build Akenyan Blogger into what it is today. But instead of regaling you with ‘that’ story, I want to point out my initial reason for starting a blog – connecting with others around the world.
The Frustrations That We Experience
Over the past few weeks, I have witnessed a recurrent theme – bloggers quitting blogging.
Everybody will have their own individual reasons. But the feeling of frustration seems to be the same. Bloggers want to feel like all of their time and effort is producing some form of result.
If a result is being reached, such as a thriving community or at least a trickle of money, then that’s good and the blogger can feel like their work isn’t in vain. But if nothing is happening for them, and/or their blogs are starting to feel like a chore, then severe frustration can kick in. This can then lead to the dawning realization that blogging just isn’t for them.
It’s a shame to see more and more bloggers reaching this conclusion. There are good bloggers out there, who are also good people, and their lives are suffering because of their blogs. Where once a blog was a nice hobby or an attempt at financial freedom, it has morphed into a time-sucking nightmare.
If Blogging Is To Work, It Must Fit In
So what happens when you reach this realization that blogging is no longer all it’s cracked up to be? Well, first I believe you should take stock of all that is in your life right now. Is it worth spending all those hours on that blog anymore? Do you think blogging is no longer worth it?
After you’ve thought on this, I reckon that leaves you with two choices:
- Quit blogging, or
- Decide on what your blog truly means to you and pursue it
You see, if blogging is to work out for you, it must be a part of your life. It must fit in with your life, not around your life. If you have too much going on right now, and you can barely spend an hour with your blog, then I recommend you stop worrying about it so much and focus on what needs to be done with the rest of your life. Step away from the blog and re-think things through.
Those who have turned their blogs into a success are those who have treated it as an important part of their life. They haven’t left it on the side – they’ve embraced it, spent whatever spare time they had on it, and figured out a business model that would eventually lead them to where they are today. It’s worked for them because they put in the work.
Your Decision
By this point, I want you to reach a decision. If you decide that you don’t want, or can’t put in the time on your fledgling blog, then that’s fine. It’s a responsible and respectable decision, and I wish you the best with your journey.
But if you decide that you want to make your blog work and turn it into a success, then come jump on the spaceship, grab a seat next to me, and let’s turn this into something incredible.
Patrick Mahinge is a prolific digital marketer and "serial webpreneur". He runs multiple profitable niche websites and blogs monetized through affiliate marketing and advertising. Patrick generously shares his expertise in affiliate marketing, blogging, and online business through his Facebook group of over 5,000 aspiring entrepreneurs.
Great post.