Are You A Pain Taker?
You better be if you want to make it in the blogging world. I was lucky to start blogging in 2004, when blogging was something fairly new. The blogging world has changed in the past few years. We have had a social media explosion, and Twitter has become its own monster in the past few months. Let’s not forget Facebook either. But for bloggers, all this means more pain. Blogging from bed may be a dream for most folks, but in reality, blogging for a living can be tougher than any 9-5 job.
As a blogger, not only should you be concerned about writing valuable content, but also promoting and growing your business. And keeping competitors off can be a challenge too. As we move deep into the Web 2.0 era, the playing field has become somewhat leveled. Folks who swiftly adopt the new technologies in conjunction with a dedication-to-innovation philosophy can suddenly challenge the traditional star bloggers. Managing change can be quite painful if you haven’t dealt with it before.
As you grow your blog, you should be careful about expansion pains as well. In truth, you can’t expect to dedicate yourself to your blog 100% and keep doing your non-core chores too. If your strength is writing content, that’s where you should focus. Whether you decide to outsource your processes or hire folks can dramatically change the nature of your business venture. Dealing with employees and outsourcing partners can be fun, but it comes with its very own challenges.
Can you Take the Pain?
That’s, in my opinion, the biggest game changer there is in this business. I have learned that very fact from the former UFC champion, Forrest Griffin. He is not the flashiest fighter. He is not the best striker, neither is he the best grappler. But as he keeps saying, he is willing to take more pain than anyone else. That has allowed him to grind down opponents that were more talented than him on the paper. The blogging business can be lonely and frustrating at times. The easy way would be to quit blogging and going back to a 9-5 job. But in reality, I’d rather take the pain and keep my freedom. And you wouldn’t know how your story ends if you quit today, now would you?
