How to Overcome Self-Doubt Fear of Blogging- Part 2
In Part One we went over a few of the basic reasons of self-doubt and blogging fears of every new blogger…yes, really…every single blogger has these same fears and doubts!
Things like…
- “Where to begin?”
- “Will anyone even see my new blog?”
- “I’m not tech savvy enough”
But there are still more self-doubt and blogging fears that we need to overcome…
Let’s Get Back to Overcoming Self-Doubt and Blogging Fears!
I Don’t Have Time to Blog
You probably have a lot more time than you think you do. How much time do you spend watching TV or binge-watching the latest shows?
Nevermind the amount of time we all spend with our phones endlessly scrolling through social media?
I am just as guilty as the next person of mindlessly wasting precious time. Chances are pretty good that you can find some time to spare to start a blog.
A new blog is usually a one-man or one-woman show. The writing, creating images, branding, website maintenance, social media, and marketing – all of these things are the many hats worn by a blogger throughout the blogging journey.
There is no doubt that it can become quite overwhelming, especially at first when you are learning the ropes. This may be the very reason why you are hesitant to take the plunge and start a blog.
It may also be the reason you might consider quitting if you have already started a blog and the pressure of doing ALL THE THINGS is causing way too much stress.
Believe me, I totally get it! I am right there with ya!
I run my own petting sitting business and work part-time as an office administrator for my church to earn a living. And as soon as I return from doing my paid jobs, I’m usually sitting at my computer until the wee hours of the night, working on my blog.
Doing the best that I can to keep checking off tasks on my never-ending blog to-do list trying to build a successful blog. Only to realize that there three more things I need to add to the list… every day!
Ultimately, it comes down re-evaluating how you spend your time and carving out time each day so that you can build your dream blog.
Don't worry, it doesn't mean you can't still spend time binge-watching the latest show. Or that you have to give up scrolling through the endless DIY and recipe pins on Pinterest that you will probably never try (guilty as charged!).
You just need to manage your time a bit better and create a new habit. A more productive habit of spending time building your blog and making it a success.
I'm Not A Very Good Writer
I remember, before I started my first blog, someone said to me: “If you’re starting a blog, you must be a really good writer.”
The truth is, I had no idea what the heck I was doing. Even though as a child, I had had dreams of being a writer one day when I grew up, I have to admit, I think I make a much better reader.
The only writing I was doing in those earlier days was just the nonsensical personal ramblings of a wanna-be writer.
I had no idea what my personal voice was, and I certainly did not consider writing as one of my strengths. I admit, my very first posts were not masterpieces by any stretch of the imagination.
But I decided this was something I wanted to do, and so I was willing to keep at it and give it a chance. The more I wrote, the more I noticed my writing style starting to emerge and it becoming more “me".
I actually enjoy going back and rereading some of my very first posts (cause they are still out there, lurking in the InterWebs) and see the evolution I have gone through (and I'm sure still going through) as a writer.
There will be times when you will find yourself comparing your writing style to the writing of other bloggers you like or admire, and think, “well, of course, they’re successful…they are so much better than I am!”
But you know what the only difference is between them and you? Experience! They have been doing it much longer than you have!
The successful bloggers you are comparing yourself to? They’ve already managed to get the hang of it. They have already put in the time developing their unique voice and a writing style that suits them.
Of course, there are always those who are just naturally gifted with writing talent. :: insert eye-roll here::
But the majority of people just keep trying, over and over and over again, until eventually, they improve their writing skills. (By the way, this goes for pretty much anything in life, ya know, like back to the yoga and learning to code).
So yes, there is a pretty good chance that you will cringe a bit when you go back and read your first post, but that is ok.
Remember, blogging is a constant process of trial and error. You can go back and improve upon your very first posts. And if you find something to improve upon, that means your writing skills are getting better and that is great!
Just remember that the first post you write won’t resemble the tenth one or the hundredth for that matter.
At first, you may not be 100% satisfied with the outcome, which makes perfect sense. It’s important that you see this disappointing result as a tool to push yourself further, and not as a failed attempt that will cause you to give up.
A fun activity to try that might sound funny to you, but is very effective – look up the oldest blog post you can find of a blogger you really admire and see just how far they’ve come since they first started! This will surely motivate you to keep at it!
I'm Not an Interesting Enough Person to Write a Blog
You may think your life is too boring and normal, and your ideas not interesting enough, to share on a blog. Perhaps you also really love a certain subject but are no expert on it, and so you feel you have nothing new to bring to the table.
Well, I hate to tell you this, but… you’ve got it all wrong!
The inspiration for writing and creating content is everywhere – in conversations with friends and family, on television, in movies, on the Internet… In fact, it's kinda like the creepy voice in the movie theatre for Dolby Surround sound that says..."all around you" (Thank you YouTube for having a video of EVERYTHING!)
And remember – your blog is not all about you. True, you may share personal stories, and write about your own experiences, but your focus should not be solely on yourself. When formulating ideas for new posts, you should think about the way in which the post can help or contribute to your reader.
I promise, once you start writing, you’ll realize how much you have to say about the things that interest you!
I'm Not An Expert
Just as the idea of starting a blog begins to formulate in your head. Just as you are on the verge of hitting publish on your blog post.
Suddenly thoughts and doubts flood your head, "What do I possibly have to offer?" "I'm not an expert." You hesitate. You pull back. You may even click ‘Delete’ instead.
Has this ever happened to you?
If so, you’ve just encountered imposter syndrome. A notorious killer of goals and dreams. Imposter syndrome is the feeling of inadequacy like you’re not good enough or don’t deserve your situation.
As bloggers, we even let it get the best of us. Sometimes it holds us back from exploring new topics or new styles. Other times it prevents us from simply starting a blog.
You don't have to be an expert to blog about something. You just need to be willing and open to learning new things and then share what you have learned through the process.
Earlier this year, I graduated from a nine-month long, 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training program. It was an amazing opportunity and experience.
Yet as we approached our last session of the training, we were discussing how do we actually begin teaching yoga? And one of our yoga teachers said, "This is just the very beginning of your yoga teaching journey.
There will always be more to learn. But feel confident in what you do know and teach that. Because to someone who has never taken a yoga class you are an expert to them."
That little token of wisdom has stuck with me. I am not an expert in yoga or blogging or learning to code. But I am confident that the knowledge I do have on these subjects, I can share with others who are just beginning their journey.
I'm So Not a Photographer!
So you want to start a blog and think the pictures you take are not good enough? Or maybe you don’t even like photography, but feel the blog will be a bit dull with no visual content? Have no fear – this too can be solved!
Just like with writing, photography is a skill that can be learned and improved upon.
These days, we are pretty much all walking around with some sort of smartphone in our pocket (even my dinosaur of a boyfriend who refused to give up his flip-phone just recently got his first smartphone! Miracles really do happen!!) that just happens to have a pretty decent camera built right into it.
Practice Makes Perfect
The more you practice taking photos, the better and more professional your images will become. And because you are taking the photos yourself, they will show off your own unique style.
You can learn a lot about photography online. You can even sign up for a photography course if you’d like to study the subject in more depth.
If, in the end, you still decide that photography is not for you. You don’t enjoy it. Or it just takes up too much of your time.
You can always make use of the many sites like Pexels, Unsplash, Pixabay and so many others, and use free stock photos on your blog. when you are ready to up your blogging game you can even invest in stock images from various online image repositories, like Stock Photo or PixiStock.
So, just like the other self-doubts and blogging fears, not being a good photographer is no excuse for not starting your blog today!
In the end
All these doubts and fears are just roadblocks you need to push past and give it a try. You will never know if you can succeed if you never try! Put those doubts and fears away and just get started!
I would love to hear what self-doubts and blogging fears you have overcome to begin your own blogging journey. Share them in the comments below and share a link to your brand new blog so I can check it out!
So true, Sandy!
Procrasti-scrolling on Facebook is a thing!
Guilty as charged.
Another great post Sandy! You always inspire confidence and an ‘I Can Do This’ feeling. I doubt myself a lot and struggle to move past that hurdle. I keep trying to push through and not give up. Thanks again! xx
Great tips you have here! Definitely have suffered a couple of these! Thanks for posting!
Alyssa | ninethreezero.blogspot.com