Having The Confidence To Blog
The title of this post sounds slightly odd doesn't it? Whenever I see posts about blogging or even write them myself, something I've always seemed to miss out, is the big issue of confidence when it comes to the process. It takes a lot to build up the courage to start up a blog and putting yourself out there is incredibly scary and not something that is spoken about enough. So today, I wanted to talk about having the confidence to blog and how to keep it up once you get going.
PUTTING YOURSELF ONLINE IS SCARY
Plucking up the courage to start a blog and put yourself out into the online world is scary, there is no denying that. Of course, in the blogging sphere we're all aware of the vile corners of the internet where no good person will venture, but it's important not to let those stop you from doing what you feel passionate about. Something else to bear in mind is being safe online, some might say this is just unnecessary, but you never know who is looking at what you're doing online, so it's better to be overly cautious than do something dangerous.
CONFIDENCE TAKES TIME
Unless you're one of those rare people that is full of confidence no matter what you do, it takes time for most of us to feel confident in what we are doing. When you're starting something new you're bound to feel scared, it's the same with everything, but the more you do it, the more confident you feel. I've written a whole post here about finding your blogging feet which you can read here.
PEOPLE WILL JUDGE YOU - NO MATTER WHAT
We all do it, whether it's a nice trait or not we all judge other people. Judgement is rife in the online world and it's hard when people feel the need to voice their judgements so strongly. We all have our opinions and there is no way that we can like every single person on the planet, thats just not natural. But it's what we do with those opinions, is what makes the difference. Truthfully, the only people's opinions I care about are the people who really know me. Taking into account the thoughts of complete strangers who know very little about you, is never going result in personal happiness. When people think negatively about you, of course, it isn't nice but it doesn't mean those thoughts are true.
BLOG LIKE NO-ONE IS WATCHING
Sounds a little ridiculous doesn't it? Because ultimately we do want people to read our blogs but sometimes readers can instill a lot of fear and pressure to meet a certain standard. Whenever I post something totally out of my comfort zone or something a little more personal - it terrifies me, so I like to pretend that the only person who is going to see the post is me. Of course, I know that's not the reality of it, but when you're feeling scared or nervous, it suddenly becomes a lot easier when you don't think anyone is watching or judging.
YOU'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO PLEASE EVERYONE
For years, I was a chronic people pleaser. It wasn't until my mid 20's, that I quickly realised that trying to please other people over yourself is not only pointless but completely exhausting. No matter what you do with your blog it will never appeal to everybody which is a positive thing. You don't need to be everyones best friend or taste to run an awesome blog and doing your own thing will stand out so much more.
FEAR CAN BE YOUR BIGGEST MOTIVATION
Whenever I try something new, I always feel scared and anxious. These feeling can sometimes be the driving force behind our actions and give us the push that we need to get things done. When the fear stops us from doing what we want, that is the time to share your them, whether it's just out loud to yourself or to a loved one, once you share your fears or say them out loud somehow they don't seem so terrifying.
BLOGGING IS A JOURNEY
Nothing ever stays the same when it comes to blogging, I remember when I first started to notice changes and at first it began to scare me. It's easy to think that you're doing something wrong or suddenly that your readers dislike you but that's not true. Just like you change and evolve, so will your readership, as hard as it is to comprehend.
Do you have any tips for feeling more confident in blogging?
R x
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