Grab the Bull by the Horns

BloggingTips has been online for more than 2 and a half years now. Running a community like this has put me in a unique position to see how many bloggers have developed since starting their first blog.

I’m happy to say that many are now running successful blogs which bring them in a nice profit every month. However, too many have struggled to make their blog a success and even more have just stopped blogging altogether.

I think that there is a common misconception that blogging is easy and that it requires very little work to make money from it. I do believe that some people will find blogging easier than others but natrual talent only gets you so far. Therefore, the people who succeed are the ones who have drive, the ones who make an effort to learn the skills they don’t have.

Too many bloggers are looking for an easy route to success when in truth, there isn’t one. Sure, some people have got lucky and have stumbled into a profitable niche but 99% of successful entrepreneurs got where they are by pure hard work and determination.

I can usually tell if a blogger is going to be successful just by their online habits i.e. how they manage their time online.

Spending too much time reading blogs, commentating and participating in forums

When you first start learning the basic skills of being a blogger it is important to soak up as much information as possible. However, I see many bloggers get into a bad habit of socialising on other blogs and forums without actually working on their own site.

I frequently come across people who actively comment on several high profile blogs every week yet their blog is only updated every other week. For me, they are completely wasting their time and fooling themselves that they are developing their blog. It’s easier and much more fun to just read your favourite blogs and comment on them than sitting down at the pc for 3 hours writing a good original post. Though this is what you need to do to become successful. Put simply, you need to stop skiving and do some real work.

Successful bloggers manage their time effectively. I do participate in forums and comment on other blogs though I am aware that spending too much time doing so is detrimental to my online success. If you want to put a figure on it, I would say that you need to spend at least 60-75% of your time online working on your blog (perhaps more). That is – writing content, changing your blog design etc.

The willingness to learn

Too many bloggers don’t make the effort to solve problems themselves. The web is full of information yet many bloggers seem to be reluctant to search for information which will help them with their blog.

If my blog has a technical problem I search the web for a solution. I check for articles and tutorials which break down the exact problem I have. If I still haven’t resolved the issue I then go to a support forum or a friend and explain my situation and detail the steps I have taken so far.

The problem is, many bloggers don’t do this. The second they encounter any problem they leave a comment on a blog or forum asking for help as they don’t know what to do. This is a terrible mindset to have. If you are always asking others for help, the journey to become a competent blogger is going to be extremely long.

You can learn any programming language or skill on the web for free. Alternatively, purchase some books and teach yourself the basics. I myself have books on CSS, HTML, Java, Javascript, Database Management, PHP, Writing, Marketing, Email Marketing and Blogging.

In the long run, teaching yourself ‘how to learn’ will save you a lot of time and energy. You will need to spend less time asking for help and more time making your blog a success.

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

Overview

Success is rarely achieved overnight. It’s a long hard journey but the end goal is worth it. Blogging is not for everyone though, it can be boring sitting at your pc for long hours and it can be very frustrating not to see returns right away.

Though if you do enjoy blogging and want to be successful at it, you need to knuckle down, get a plan of action and start heading towards your goal. You will be surprised at how different you work online once you have some drive.

I will leave you with a fantastic post from Paul Piotrowski entitled ‘The Importance of Desire‘. In the article he talks about how visualization and emotion can play a huge part in your success. Enjoy

Written by Kevin Muldoon from Blog Themes Club
Posted on October 29th, 2009 and filed under Blogging
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