You are urged to hit ‘restart’ and start blogging again. So how do you get back to work on something you’ve left on the back burner?
You’ve hit a wall. Your blog would be a beautiful way for you to make money from home.
What happened?
I know the feeling. I’ve been there.
Let’s toast the other things that were more important at the time.
Now, you are urged to hit ‘restart’ and start blogging again. So how do you get back to work on something you’ve left on the back burner?
It’s simple.
You start.
START BLOGGING – AGAIN
Don’t you wish it was as simple as starting again?
Let’s go through the things that made you stop blogging. Grab your Brain Book and get ready to mind map.
You are going to have to be vulnerable and honest with yourself.
I am answering these questions, too, because I want you to know that you are not alone in this!
#1 Why did you start your blog the first time?
My answer: I wanted to earn an income from home on my terms.
#2 What are #AllTheThings that got in the way of your success the first time?
My answer: #1: Fear – it’s scary out there! #2 I didn’t treat my blog like a business. I didn’t schedule a time to write or promote my blog. I avoided contact with my readers (inconsistent posting, no social media presence, no email list). #3 Everyone else was more important than what I wanted for my blog. #4 Trying to follow all the blogging rules – like, who says I have to do what everyone else is doing? #5 Lack of joy in the process.
#3 What skills, needs, and feelings were you lacking that stopped you from accomplishing more with your blog?
My Answer: Time management, email list building, lack of vision building, self-doubt, no courage. The biggest problem I had was not letting my friends encourage my potential. Therefore, I didn’t have anyone to hold me accountable for my actions or lack thereof.
BLOGGING MINDSET WORK
It’s hard for people, especially those in your household, to understand that this blog is a real thing for you. For a long time, my husband found it easy to dismiss this as a real job for me. He could not understand how pounding on the keys makes a business.
How could he see this as a business if he didn’t see me treating it like a business? I would show up as the Worst Employee of the Month – late or not at all.
It wasn’t until I made it a point to get dressed, pull on my boots, and show up at the keys that I started making money. A business is not a business until it makes a profit.
So, we finally came to an agreement – he doesn’t have to understand what I do, but he does have to respect it.
YOUR WHY
I love talking to my ag clients about their ‘Why’ for starting their business.
There is always something deep that gets them excited and energized for their business.
What is your ‘Why’? What is the thing that gets you excited to start making an income on your terms?
- Is it the flexibility to make your own schedule and limitless income?
- Do you want to buy groceries without having to check your account before your go to the store?
- Are you showing your kids that a traditional 9-5 is not the answer for everyone?
- Do you crave a passion project all your own that you can grow and nurture into something bigger?
- Will the money you make from this blog allow your husband to retire and be home with your family?
These are all powerful reasons for you to want to start blogging again. Are you feeling excited to get back to the keyboard?
MY WHY
My ‘Why’ for sitting down and knocking the cobwebs off of RunningInBoots.com? This one took a long drink to come up with…
I have the knowledge and skills to teach rural women how to make money from home in the agriculture industry. This information is wasted instead of using it for their benefit. There are women on the verges of the cities who are looking for ways to make extra income from home and through the livestock industry who need my guidance.
So, what will make me rearrange my schedule to make this happen? What is that strong pull and desire that will make me help perfect strangers reach their dreams and goals? What is the thing that will keep me going when I feel like quitting or tossing this blog altogether?
As a result of this guilt thinking, I came up with my ‘Why’:
My Lifestyle.
Making an income while making an impact.
That is my ‘Why’.
I will live a certain way and be unapologetic about it.
I want to go to a local stock show and drop big money on a kid who doesn’t have any buyers for their project. My profits from Running In Boots will go to investing in women in start-up businesses.
All the while, I want to sit in these meetings in high-dollar Lucchese boots with a Black King Ranch 4×4 sitting outside my office.
It’s not the lifestyle itself that is the driving force behind me — it’s the feeling that lifestyle will bring me. But, just saying “I want to help others” doesn’t do the same as “I want to live a certain lifestyle helping others in Lucchese boots.”
In other words, Running In Boots is my way of helping others, both with my knowledge and my extra income.
And it just so happens I want to be dressed a certain way when I do it.
CRAFTING YOUR IDEAL DAY
Let’s talk about your Ideal Day.
Is all this talk about my dreams making you dream a little bigger?
Let’s go!
On a regular day of the week, what do you want your day to look like? Are you getting up early to work on your personal development? Do you wake with the natural morning light because your personal assistant takes your kids to school?
You may laugh at that right now, but trust me, those things can happen to you.
But what does it take to get them? Money and clarity.
Sketch out what your ideal day would look like if your blog could make you an income from home.
Would you work out with a trainer after your kids are off to school? Writing on the back porch with an iced tea and a laptop in the middle of the afternoon?
Whatever you want your day to look like, make it happen. Get clear on the day you want.
THE NEW BLOGGING SCHEDULE
You already have a pretty good idea of what went wrong the first time with your blog. One of my main problems was time, or lack thereof.
Jot down all the tasks you must do when you start blogging again. How will this fit into your current schedule and your ideal day?
Will you need to give up something to make this happen? Do you need to wake up earlier? Work during your lunch breaks?
Whatever the case, work with what you have to get to where you want to be. Add those tasks to your calendar. Schedule them and make it a non-negotiable thing to move, just like you would for a doctor’s appointment or important meeting.
Your blog tasks are not just busy work, they are the things that will make you a Marketer and a Maker. You will not create your ideal life if you treat these tasks like they can be scheduled over or forgotten.
YOUR BLOGGING BUSINESS PLAN
If you are beating yourself up about letting your hobby blog go to waste, that will be a short fight. However, if you had the intentions and investments of this to be a business, you have a lot stuck into this project already.
Did you make a Business Plan the first time? I know I didn’t. I was learning the ropes of tech and lingo before I even considered running my blog like a business.
Blogs are a gateway to your income. Sure, you could litter your posts with annoying ads and get a few Amazon sales, but is that what you’re looking for?
My view is to have as many successful income streams as I can. 2020 taught us to live a little differently. I will strive to have multiple passive income streams in my life, and I will encourage other women to do the same.
hITTING RESTART
Let’s talk about your blog.
Are you going to revamp your old blog or start a brand-new one?
Depending on your answer, you will have a different approach for some of the steps.
Write a list of the to-do’s you need to clear up or do differently.
Show up for your audience. Even if it’s been a while, you will still have loyal fans. If not, oh well. Starting making those loyal fans now.
Don’t let fear and overwhelm paralyze you from the dream life you want.
Your happiness depends on you showing up for your business and your life.
