Bloggers doubt is what I like to think of is a disease. The death of many bloggers careers and preventing them from living the Internet lifestyle. First off, let me explain what bloggers doubt is. Bloggers doubt is doubting your true blogger abilities, simply throwing in the towel before the game has even started. I have seen so many bloggers quit blogging because of bloggers doubt, and the sad part is… they have so much potential.
I must admit… I’ve had bloggers doubt before, but I’ve overcome it. So now, I’m going to share with you how to overcome this nasty disease.
The cure to bloggers doubt
Understanding that overnight success does not happen
Overnight success does not happen, unless you hit the lottery. It takes months for many people to start seeing results online. This concepts applies for making money, readership growth, traffic growth and more. The average website takes around 6-12 months before results are being shown. And that’s 6-12 months of work, not putting up your blog and expecting to see results.
When I was listening to Nathan Hangen’s podcast the other day, he brought up a great point. He explained how a man worked 11 years of providing genuine free content to his readers and watching his list grow, then he launched a paid product and did well with it immediately. Now… I’m not saying you need to work 11 years, but this is just to show you that most examples of “overnight success” come from previous months and possibly years of hard work.
You must take action to see results
Another common symptom of bloggers doubt is bloggers mad that they are not seeing results. This symptom is mainly caused by bloggers that do not take action. Let me share with you a story that happened to me recently… I was dealing with a person who was asking me about affiliate marketing and I must say… out of everyone I’ve encountered through my career this guy pissed me off the most. No matter how many times I repeated myself he did not understand that you must take action before you can expect to see any results. If you want to see results, take the dam time and take action. Seeing results online are scalable to the amount of work and time you put into seeing them. And remember, it also takes time. Their have been weeks I have put in 100 hour work weeks to see little results. As David Risley said, 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts.
Group Discussion – How do you overcome bloggers doubt?
I’m sure this has happened to us all at one point of time during our career. So how did you overcome it? I’ve been seeing the bloggers doubt disease spread rapidly like cancer and it’s not good. Tons of bloggers quit blogging right when their about to hit the home-run in their career because of bloggers doubt. What are some of the steps you taken to overcome bloggers doubt? When you feel like just giving it all up… what do you do to keep going?
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{ 60 comments… read them below or add one }
I think Blogger’s Doubt is a polite way of putting it. I’d be harsher, I think for most it’s sheer laziness. People come in to blogging thinking it’ll be an easy way to make some money, and it isn’t.
It’s not hard or even that complicated, but it requires consistent hard work, and that’s where I see most bloggers fail.
In all the time I’ve been blogging, the ones who rise above the sea of mediocrity are those who just work hard at it. In the Beyond Blogging book we interviewed the world’s best bloggers, and every one of them worked like dogs in their early days. We all envy Pete Cashmore’s and Chris Brogan’s lifestyles now, but they both did their time – in Pete’s case working all hours and posting up to 15 times a day from his parent’s house in Scotland.
Totally right Mike, and we were chatting about this on our Skype call yesterday. Taking action and wanting people WHO DO want to succeed. How was your road to the Internet lifestyle? I’m sure it was rocky, but what really made you want to stick through it.
In some ways we were lucky. When my wife and I started our blog business, we were able to go into it full time from day one, as we reduced our commitment to our other businesses.
But for six months, we worked harder than we’d ever worked in our lives – 100 hour weeks, working every weekend, and it paid off. Even now, we both work more than we would at a normal job, but we love the fact that we control it, and we really enjoy it.
Mike CJ´s last blog . . .How to get benefit from the posts that are really popular on your blog
Right, and I think if a lot of bloggers sat back and looked at how much time we really spend online, it’s WAY more than the average person spends working a regular job. But what stops us from noticing is the fact that we love what we do and it’s our passion.
Good Morning.
I think many people come to blogging and they have never had any business experience. So they have a job mentality. They are use to trading hours for dollars. From the first day I was online my friends were asking me how much are you making? They have no clue that this is not a job. It is a business and it take time to build. I have been living the Internet lifestyle for 15 months now and I love it. Ever since I have started doing it full-time, friends have been telling me about job offers. I just do not listen, and I just keep living the Internet life style. I love that phrase. I am committed to my web site, and I depend on all of you to keep me going and you do. Most of the Time I can’t wait to read what you have to say. I was taught to trust God and believe in myself, and I do.
Melva´s last blog . . .Small Town Business Ideas for Big Time Income
Hey Melva, another thing I think that is the issue is people come into this business with the mentality that this is a walk in the park. They see everyone enjoying what they love, but fail to see the work behind what they are really looking at.
I’m with you Melva, if someone offered me a job offer I would decline in a heart beat. I’ve found what I love, and it’s blogging and affiliate marketing. So I’m going to continue doing so.
Yes, you are so right about bloggers disease! I have two blogs. I have started my blog 6 mouths ago, and the results has not came as fast as I want, but I know it takes time and a lot of work.I still have a dream of working for a living as a blogger. There are a lot of people who have so much potential in their subject and they have dreams to fullfill themselves as a blogger. Thanks for posting this inspirational post. right on time.
Tyler J.Logan´s last blog . . .The curious person vs. The nosy person
Glad it came right on time Tyler! But totally, continue working hard on your sites and one day you are going to see that day you have really been working hard for.
This hits all bloggers at some point to be honest. Even with the right background and knowledge, at times you face a self-doubt of lack of quick success. You have to realize that it does take time and you do get out of it what you put into it. The harder you work, the more success you will see. All you can do is keep learning, keep working, and read great true success stories like yours Rob. Great topic. Thanks for maintaining the positive attitude for your readers.
Build Web Traffic´s last blog . . .Building Backlinks To Your Website
You’re totally right. And all you gotta do is keep a good mindset and keep heading strong and it will come.
Hey Rob,
Nice article. It’s my first visit to your site. Looks great! I’m very new at blogging. Your article speaks directly to me. I’m already feeling the doubt in my second week of blogging. That’s OK though because I have a big enough WHY to get me through the slumps.
One of my mentors taught me the importance of having a big enough reason (the WHY) to keep moving forward no matter how dismal it may seem.
BTW, how does someone your age know so much?
Tim Zager´s last blog . . .Stop Running If You’re Not Being Chased!
I like your philosophy Tim, and welcome to the community
Let’s just say, for a 15 year old, I’ve went through a lot of life lessons that taught me a lot
Hey Rob, thanks for the mention and for the good post. I love reading truth like this.
Takes a lot of hard work, not quitting, and persevering through some hard times in order to be successful; not only as a blogger, but as an entrepreneur.
Nathan Hangen´s last blog . . .Podcast: Choosing Between Text, Audio, and Video
Not a problem Nathan, your podcast really brought up a good point so I had to mention it
Your totally right, being an entrepreneur takes a lot of hard work. that’s the reason why not everyone is an entrepreneur today.
Oh, I know this one all to well. To keep myself motivated I have to keep reminding myself of the long term goal: I eventually want to be financially free and if I keep blogging long enough, either it’s going to give me the exposure I need to keep my consulting business going, or it’s eventually going to bring me enough traffic to create some good advertising revenue.
I take it one day at a time to keep from getting overwhelmed and on those days when things just don’t seem to be producing the results I’ve been hoping for, I look at my small accomplishments and use them as fuel to keep going.
Everyday that my Alexa rank increases, it give me a boost of hope and energy to keep moving forward. Rather than look at how far I’ve got to go, I choose to be happy about how far I’ve come, one small step at a time.
Kiesha @ WeBlogBetter´s last blog . . .The Official Iron Blogger Contest
Totally good idea Kiesha, I always remind myself of my goal to become a six-figure blogger and it really motivates me even when I’m not having good days such as this one to keep myself going.
Remember though.. When you’re looking at your alexa ranking,
Yeah, I understand the truth behind the numbers, but some days it’s only the change in the numbers that keep me motivated enough to press on. I’m not delusional, just optimistic.
Kiesha @ WeBlogBetter´s last blog . . .The Official Iron Blogger Contest
Whatever keeps you motivated and striving towards your goals counts for something eh?
I’m beginning to see how the Pareto Principle works for blogging, but giving it that initial spark takes some time and effort. I do believe, however, that it will get easier as time goes by. Great post Rob.
Jack | Online Marketing Blog´s last blog . . .7 Blogging Mistakes You Can Avoid Right Now!
I don’t know if I could say if it gets easier as time goes on.. I think your more used to it, so you really know how to deal with it. And probably since you are seeing numbers you like it keeps you motivated to continue what you’re doing and never stop.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that you’ll make the mistakes along the way but you learn from them and prevent them from happening again. You’re right, nothing is easy.
Jack@Online Marketing Blog´s last blog . . .Do You Use These Top 3 Ways to Monetize Your Blog?
Oh I totally agree with you. The only thing that pisses me off is some people never learn from their mistakes.
Personally I think of what it’s going to take to get me where I want to be. I also think about how far I want to go and realise that time exists for a reason.
Lastly, why blog just to make money? For most people they may want to make money but wouldn’t it make more sense to blog about something you enjoy and THEN make money when the right time comes?
Eric´s last blog . . .Build Your Blog With Fire In Mind
You’re so right, why blog just to make money? However,a lot of people do it for only that reason and they fail. I think it’s totally important to blog just to blog, and then like you said let the money come in when the time is right.
Exactly!
I mean, honestly, look at all the interesting people you can meet when you put in the work and can connect with before even making the money. That alone is awesome because you’re actually making good friendships and that can go so far in this world. There’s nothing like a good friend to really be there for you and with blogging that’s a very easy way to build up a relationship like that.
Thanks for the reply.
Eric´s last blog . . .Build Your Blog With Fire In Mind
I’m always reading that it helps if bloggers set out to acheive goals with their blogs e.g gain 5 subscribers or something like that. Achieving these goals that we set our selves can be a big motivator and give us something to aspire to with our blogs.
Jasmine Henry from System Fail News´s last blog . . .The Results Are In! (Feb Poll)
So true Jasmine, and you just inspired me for my next blog post
I agree with Mike in a way, some of it is laziness, but some of it can be pure lack of what/how to do things to make other things happen.
Most important part of your message is understanding that there is no easy way out….
Keith´s last blog . . .Dennis Edell Comment Contest
Right Mike, some people do give up just because they don’t know how. But like anyone, if you don’t know, seek knowledge and find out how to do it.
Always enjoy reading your articles!! I say why blog to make money? You should blog becaue it is something you like to do and if your heart is in it and you are passionate enough about it and you make money at it that is only a bonus! I think the only way to make money at blogging is to be passionate about what you are blogging about. If you are blogging just for the money burn out will ruin your blog, your readers will not find it interesting because you are not passionate about what you are doing and it will show in your content.
You’re right on, readers always can see through the people who WANT to make money only, and the people who are passionate about what they do each and everyday. I think being passionate about what you do will set you up for a great future in store, and your readers will respect you a lot more.
ya. nice article ……… I’m always reading this kind of tips ..it helps bloggers:)
Glad you enjoyed it
Thank you Rob for a great piece and everybody that left a comment behind! I am new to the blogging world and really in the learning stages! I am reading, taking it all in and putting in the work little by little. I totally didn’t know blogging is like painting a picture every time you write. I’m a firm believer that in life some will get it, some will master it, some will give up, some will cheat at it and some will walk right pass it! I am taking it all in but I really didn’t know it was going to be fun and frustrating at the same time.
Pat V´s last blog . . .D’Angelo Popsicle got Locked & Popped
Hey Pat, glad your learning all this. Just be sure to take this great knowledge your learning and TAKE ACTION. That is the key thing you need to do in order to succeed online is take action.
P.S: Welcome to the community
When I feel doubtful, I remind myself of how far I’ve come and what I will lose by quitting.
Although I’m still new, reminding myself of the odds I’ve beaten – being 12, short on cash and time, etc – and use them to keep me going. If I do give up, what makes me any better than the other 100,000 bloggers that quit?
You’re totally right Joe. And just like we talked about before, it’s harder to give up than to keep trying, because if you give up you never know what you missed out on.
This may or may not help one bit, but mine was overcome with the first sale. The real thing that made me go, hmm, was the fact that it happened MONTHS after the posting.
Many moons ago on my very first blog when I had no idea what I was doing, I wrote a really bad review type article about a free membership site I was using.
The post itself got maybe 2 “Looks interesting!” comments.
Now if you’ve ever used a free membership site you know they ALL have an “upgrade” option. Several months later I received a congrats email for a commission I just made.
WTF? I totally forgot I even wrote the post. I didn’t make another dime for quite a few months, but didn’t care…..I KNEW what was possible.
People, when Rob or anyone tells you it takes time; LISTEN.
Lookie here, another post I’ve created for myself.
Dennis Edell´s last blog . . .UPDATED – $100 – 10 Winners – Comment Contest! ‘Till Months End…
It’s always that first hit of income that really sparks up your motivation. It’s like OH MY GOD! Is that really a first commission? Even though it may be $5-10, you just want to throw a wild party haha.
The flip side is the first sale can also be your business killer. I was still motivated months later not making another dime, but many will just chalk it up to a fluke and quit anyway.
Dennis Edell´s last blog . . .Blog Feed Subscriptions – The Methods to My Madness – Part 1.
I have always questioned my ability, success, and overall purpose of what I’m doing.
I get fresh new ideas that do not help me focus on what I have already started. So, what I have done is told myself I cannot go onto anything new or question myself until I fully believe I have tried my hardest.
I have not done this yet, so it keeps me going. The energy and passion is still there, I just need reminded of it once in a while.
Derek Jensen´s last blog . . .How Willing are You To Try Something New?
Yea, totally. Just keep your goals and mind and always know that anything you put your mind to you can get done.
Thank you so much Rob I have finally taken action in to my hand and now I know it’s a matter of staying strong in the race to come out a winner.
Pat V´s last blog . . .Spirit Airlines Resumes Service to Port-au-Prince
Right on Pat, I’ll be seeing you at the finish line (:
I think in any venture, persons need to establish long term goals and take small steps to get there. Lots of internet marketers are giving the wrong impression that success comes overnight and many newbies get caught in this wrong idea and become frustrated and disappointed very easily because of unrealistic expectations.
I personally keep track of my daily activities and treat each day’s goals as small achievements towards success. I find that it helps to keep the momentum if the feeling of small accomplishments are experienced daily. This is why I also pay very close attention to my visitor statistics where I can see the results of the my daily blogging activities.
Sam’s Web Guide´s last blog . . .Microsoft’s New Courier Tablet / Digital Journal
Much more detailed than me I say haha. But it’s good to see that you are breaking down your goals like that, it will really pay off in the long run.
It is very easy to become doubtful of your blogging or think you are wasting time. I was involved in a different business several years ago and decided it wasn’t for me. So I changed. The blog posts and comments I made still come up high in search results that I was targeting. The best part is that I haven’t done anything for over 2 1/2 years.
That’s awesome Kat, so are these business still running? Or did you close them to peruse a different career? And that’s why it’s always important to make sure that you are going after something you are 100% passionate about. Always pays off
I closed them and started something new! If the passion isn’t there it just isn’t worth it, it just seems like work instead of something you like to do.
In blogging and even almost the whole online business thing, you must have a whole lot of faith and patience to go through and see the “kaching”, that is the money. Or else you won’t be able to see it.
Shirley´s last blog . . .Listorious – Discover The Best Twitter Lists And People On Twitter
Exactly Shirley, that’s why only the strongest survive.
bohzo Shirley
I never pass your avatar up when I see it on twitter. I had bloggers doubt just yesterday so I am glad that you poster this. Great reading!
When your own people snub you on twitter, it can hurt and be offensive. I have spent a lifetime trying to help the Potawatomi.
I read your article on Wordpress blogs and am switching over very very soon. Have a great day!
Bodewadmi
Bodewadmi´s last blog . . .Native American
Glad I could help
if you need anything let me know.
I think that this happens because while you spend your time providing good articles you still have to live, you can’t freeze your life. You have to find an alternative income source, and we all know that immediate sources of income like freelancing or in the worst case getting a job is consuming us a lot of time.
This is the problem, we spend time for something that provides us money, we get tired and it will be very hard to provide that good content. I think this is the point where the most fail.
But, i’ve encountered another situation, on my own. I had a non-blog website that generated some good income and i wanted to do something more and build a blog. First, it was on blogspot. I did not had plans and goals. I just provided some content, i can’t rate it if it was good or bad.
After some time i decided to move from blogspot to a self-hosted wordpress. I made a subdomain on my main domain, the website that already had traffic. The blog received few visitors compared to the main site, ~50/day, but it was growing every day.
At the end of a period of non-posting, having a hard time to find time and motivation to post, i deleted the whole blog, losing search engine visitors,readers, everything. It wasn’t figured in my future plans.
Now i wish i had that blog back. I wished i could post the articles again on other blog, but i can’t. All articles are on buzzle.com right now and they receive a good amount of traffic, between 10 000 and 30 000 total views for each of them, and they are quite a lot, and buzzle is not the only place where i sent them. They are on ezinearticles and on another article directories where i automatically sent the articles.
I wish i have that blog back.
Lucian Apostol´s last blog . . .Use a caching plugin on wordpress to avoid server load when
That’s why here at Robswebtips, I always encourage everyone to blog about something they are 100% passionate about, so even when the going gets tough they have the motivation(because of their passion) to continue doing what they love.
Great story Lucian, and I actually see more good than bad out of it. It was a mistake, yes. But take it as an learning experience, you deleted your site, but now you can learn from your mistakes and prosper with them in the future.
One thing that may help is to keep our focus on the end result. Imagine where you will be once you are successful. If one of the major goal for becoming a blogger is the income, (which is a great reason) Imagine how it would feel waking up and knowing that you have that financial security.
Think of it as a snowball effect. Just because you don’t see the results of your hard work right now, doesn’t mean that your work is in vain. If you worked 10 hours marketing your blog today, and you wake up tomorrow morning or next week and still haven’t seen the results that you put in, don’t get discouraged.
The fruit of your labor will show up at some point in time but the key is to be consistent. I loved what you said Rob when you mentioned, not stopping once you see the results of your success. That’s like a bird learning to fly and builds up all his momentum and once he’s successful and flying he realizes he’s achieved his goal, then stops flapping his wings in mid air.
When we stop flapping our wing in mid air what happens? We fall right back down to the ground. Work hard and keep working even once you achieve success!!
Great post Rob, keep them coming!
Jarrod
Jarrod@ Optimistic Journey´s last blog . . .The Benefit of Living an Optimistic Lifestyle
You’re right on Jarrod, and many people need to start seeing this. Success does NOT come overnight, and just like a bird, we need to continue flapping are wings and learn to fly.
What an awesome concept on the blogger’s doubt thing. Good read. Cheers.
Angelo Beltran´s last blog . . .Google AdSense Ninja Tactics
Glad you liked it Angelo
Your article speaks directly to me. I’m already feeling the doubt in my second week of blogging. I havent had any retweets, or much comments, and it makes me want to quit, but i have to keep trying.
YuTubeMedia´s last blog . . .YouTube surpasses Yahoo! As the Internet’s 3rd most visited site
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