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Every Pro Blogger Starts Somewhere…

May 4, 2011 By 9 Comments

Last week, I wrote an article on Bike198 about how every single rider had to start somewhere (Never Forget We All Started Somewhere). No one just wakes up one day able to jump road gaps or magically gets the endurance and skill to win races. At some point in time, every rider started at square one with zero knowledge and probably not even a bike. All they had was the willingness to learn and the drive to make their own dream a reality, but when you see it on the outside…it appears they have always ridden like that…

In the blogging world, that same paradox exists. You see blogs that are well established and making money forgetting that they too started with an idea and a blank screen.

With my BlogWorld Expo presentation coming up, I have been thinking a lot lately about the sequence of events that got to this point. When I look back on it, it really amazes me. I was just a guy who started a blog…nothing more…nothing less. My idea started to grow with hard work and dedication to the dream to become what it is today, but…at the end of the day…I am still just a guy that started a blog.

Every Pro Blogger Started Somewhere

If you are just starting out or trying to get over a plateau in your progress, it can seem like the world had it easier than you. It can seem like there was some secret that you missed out on. The reality is that every blogger (or rider like I pointed out in the biking article) has been exactly where you are sitting right now.

What separates the successful from those that aren’t is the willingness to push through the harder times and not give up. By learning from our experiences and keeping the drive to move forward, we see success and the monetary benefits that come along with that. No one…I repeat…no one wakes up one day with a “6 figure blog”. Every blogger that generates income from their efforts works hard at it day in day out to make it a success.

Nothing is free in life and everything that is worth having requires work.

You are not the first and certainly will not be the last to start a successful blog or make your blog successful by pushing through the harder times. Every blogger goes through these phases. It is how you deal with the ups and downs that determines your own personal outcome.

Successful business building and blogging does not come overnight. Everyone has to start somewhere…and it is that journey that makes the fruits of your labor so rewarding in the end. Every success has a story…what will yours be?

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One Leg At A Time

April 8, 2010 By 10 Comments

I was putting on a pair of my new Dockers pants yesterday when I noticed they had a saying inside the waist band, “One Leg At A Time”. It got me thinking about my life and blogging, so stick with me on this ride as I attempt to explain.

I’m not sure who first coined the phrase, but if you think about how that tagline applies to your life outside of actually putting on pants, it can be rather profound. Let’s take a look…

Tackling Your Life One Leg At A Time

For many people, the timeline of their life can be overwhelming. I speak from experience on this one as sometimes my long term goals can seem too large to tackle or stepping out of that comfort zone is being stopped by usability to take that first step. At that point in time, I remind myself that every step in life and business is taken one leg at a time.

Most projects, business decisions and general blogging is tackled in steps…not all at once. Do you see yourself jumping straight into your pants both legs in one shot?! Sounds hilarious when you really think about it but so often bloggers try to tackle the big tasks in their blogging all at once.

When you start to plan projects, you need to lay out the steps necessary to achieve your goals. You then take on each of these steps and watch them add up over time.

Applying The Phrase To Self Image

Unless you are a cocky SOB that thinks you are utterly wonderful and the world is graced by your presence, you have probably had certain “I’m not like those guys” or “I’m not good enough” feelings as it pertains to success.

Many people will look at more successful people in life or business and wonder what the secret is…what did they do differently…how to I get on that gravy train? The secret…they put their pants on one leg at a time everyday and they do that consistently.

What most people don’t realize is that what separates the successful from those that aren’t is the ability to try over and over again without being scared of the result.

Applying This Theory To Blogging

As you start to look at how you can apply this theory to your blogging, you need to take a serious look at your plans and your goals.

  • Where do you want to be by the end of the year, month, week?
  • What is it going to take to get there?
  • What time requirements are there?

Now that you have laid it all out, start taking the steps down one leg at a time. You will be surprised at the result as you are working your plan, just like you do every morning when you get dressed and don’t realize it.

After you start eliminating the barriers to success, you have to start realizing that there is nothing special to “top bloggers” in your field. They took the same steps you are to get where they are today.

With the willingness to believe you can actually make it and you are good enough…you will be unstoppable. The enemy of most bloggers is their own mind in the pursuit of their dreams.

In the end, we are all doing this “one leg at a time” regardless of niche or business model. Hit it up!

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It Is Always Easier To Criticize Than Create – Blogging Trolls

March 25, 2010 By 25 Comments

Yesterday, I was reading and commenting on an article by Nicholas Cardot at Site Sketch 101 titled “Are you crying about other’s success?” and it got me to thinking. At some point in your blogging career, you are going to make a dollar or find some other kind of success and there are going to be those other bloggers and people that want to shoot you down for it.

Lately, there has been a growing trend in the blogosphere of putting down other successful bloggers that are making money through their blogging efforts.

Lame.

One…we want successful bloggers in the industry in and outside of the blogging niche. Why? That means that you can be successful within that niche as well. I don’t know about you guys…but I don’t want to spin my wheels for nothing! I like making a living doing what a love. Anyone else that says any differently is just lying to you to make themselves feel better about their place in life.

Two…it is a cry for help. If you see other bloggers putting down the success a fellow blogger is seeing, they are trying to attract traffic to their blog using controversy. That is great for comments and a small bump in traffic, but this “controversy blogger” is missing a very key point in successful blogging. Controversy traffic converts at a rate that is almost unmeasurable. Unless you are Perez Hilton, your controversy traffic is going to make you zero cash so it is a wasted effort while you throw your own name through the mud.

My Experience With Blogging Trolls

In the beginning with Bike198.com, I got a lot of “internet superheros” that just wanted to beat down my blog until I gave up and quit. They would post about it on forums, try to comment on my blog and even say something on their own blog that their mom reads about my site. Eventually, they all go away. Why? Because I ignore them. These guys are more worried about padding their forum post count (which makes more money for those site owners and not them…funny how that works) than they are about actually getting their own bikes dirty.

After awhile, they move onto the next guy hoping to get a reaction because that is ultimately what they are after from the beginning.

When I released Ramped Reviews, I got another wave of spoiled milk with bloggers and other people thinking that I was only in blogging to get free stuff. Not only is that completely false, but if they would have taken the chance to read the ebook, they would see that it is about much more than just free product. Once again, these people eventually moved onto the next guy without making any real lasting impact.

What Can You Learn From These Situations?

Controversy blogging has its place, but that place is not in the realm of trying to bring down other people in your industry. Now…if they did something so despicable that it has to be told, that is different. But if you are just planning on shooting down their success because you don’t feel its right to make money, then you are barking up the wrong tree and almost insuring your failure.

So remember these 5 things.

  1. You want successful bloggers in your niche because that means you have the ability to be successful.
  2. It will always be easier to criticize than create, so remember that as you draft your articles and deal with Internet trolls.
  3. Ignoring is often the best form of dealing with Internet trolls as no one wins online arguments and you are giving them what they want…a reaction.
  4. You can delete comments when necessary. They don’t own your site…you do!
  5. If you are getting complaints about something you are doing well, congratulations…rinse and repeat!
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Only You Decide When You Quit – Blog to Success

July 13, 2009 By 1 Comment

Yesterday morning, I woke up at a bright an early 5 am to participate in a 100 mile road bike ride for charity. The route was going to prove to be extremely difficult with 7,198 feet of climbing through the roads of north metro Atlanta. This was not my first century ride, so I knew pretty much what to expect…a lot of suffering!

When I go on these really long road bike rides, it gives me a lot of time to think. Typically, I hang with the A group long enough to drag me through as much of the route as possible. After about 45-50 miles, I tail off the back and get a lot of alone time on the road just spinning each and every mile to the end. This particular road route was filled with steep pitches and thousands of feet of climbing that just begged you to give up and go home. Instead of caving to my want to throw in the towel…I continued on my quest to the finish and ended up with a pretty good time overall.

Only You Decide When You Quit – Blogging Success

As I was suffering on the blacktop, I kept on thinking about how easy it would be to just give up. There would not be anyone that judged my decision as I was off the bike for two weeks prior due to injury. I would not have lost face or ended my cycling career. I would, however, have just quit because something got a little difficult.

It is in times of challenge that we rise above and complete something fantastic. It is human nature to give up when it is hard and that is why so many people throw in the towel just before they are about to make it. I see blogs all the time that have great potential, but when they do not see the results they want right away…they give up and move onto another project repeating the same process. By pushing through the hard times, we are able to achieve success and get an even greater feeling of satisfaction as we grew though the experience.

Lately, I have noticed a lot of blogs addressing the question that goes something along the lines of…”should I stop blogging?” If business building and making serious money out of your blogging was easy…everyone would be doing it. What differentiates the serious blogger from the want-a-be is the willingness to defy all odds in search of success. The serious blogger who ends up making a real income from their blog will learn and push through the hard times with the knowledge that hard work eventually pays off. By learning what works and what does not through these hard times, we are able to grow and expand.

The easy road is giving up. Not seeing the traffic you want right away? Not seeing the subscriber count you were hoping for? Not seeing enough commenting? If you know you have a great idea…stick with it and experiment. You will eventually touch the right formula that brings you to the level you were dreaming of…

Maybe I’ll Just Quit

If you just quit…you are just another quitter. Wouldn’t you rather have success? It is completely up to you if and when you quit. As you listen to others around you try to convince you that you should just give up, remember that it is your choice. They might try to convince you with lines like…”look at all of this work you are putting in with very little result” or “Looks like fun for now…but I don’t see how something like that would be long lasting”, but it is your future that you are trying to build…not theirs. It is no skin off their back if you just lay over and give up. They get to keep the status quo and you miss out on your dream.

Next time you think about quitting, think back on the small successes you have seen over time. These small successes can be anything from getting your first 10 subscribers to a blog comment thanking you for your work. By remembering the small successes, we are able to grow into larger achievements. Keep on pushing through and remember the goal. As long as you do that…you will just just fine…

Yesterday morning, I just kept on thinking about that last climb I cleared while I struggled with the next. If I could overcome the pain on the last one…what was going to stop me during this gain in elevation? Nothing…just keep pushing…

Photo by erix!

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