Starting a new project, be it a blog or a hobby, is always exciting. You have so many ideas, and you want to just dive right in! But after that shiny new excitement starts to wear off, and you start to get bogged down in the nitty-gritty stuff, and overwhelmed by the thousands upon thousands of articles/books/courses telling you what you should and shouldn’t be doing, you might start to think about calling it quits. I’ve been at this blog for one year now, and some days it feels like I’m going nowhere. I don’t have the large following other blogs have, and I sure as hell don’t make enough to quit my day job… but I keep going. I’ve yet to reach the point where I’ve even thought about calling it quits, even though most bloggers burn out or switch to a different project in the first three to six months. The difference between bloggers who call it quits and those who don’t is simultaneously simple and annoying as hell: the people who don’t quit have a different mindset. I always used to roll my eyes when people said this, because we all put in work, and we all want to succeed, but bear with me. Several years ago, I started a lifestyle blog, and it was… a hot mess. Stream-of-consciousness writing mixed with no real purpose led me to give it up after a few months. It was fun, and a good writing exercise, but I didn’t approach it as anything more than a sort of public diary. With this blog, on the other hand, I have a niche, short- and long-term goals which I revisit regularly, a set posting schedule, and most importantly, a business mindset. Instead of a hobby, I’m treating this as a job. Just as I wouldn’t quit my job after one bad day, I’m also not going to quit this on days when I feel discouraged. With that in mind, here are the three things I always do when I start to feel discouraged about where my blog is headed--hopefully these will work for you just as well as they have for me! 1. Know Why You’re Doing ThisThe original title of this post was “How To Keep Going When It Feels Like Your Business Is Going Nowhere” because again, to me, this is a business. Okay, it’s not a business that’s paying the bills, but that doesn’t affect my mindset. More than just a business mindset, I know why I’m doing this. I want to share my expertise and help other people live a better life; I want to encourage people to travel so they can see for themselves how much beauty there is in this world; I want to create connections and inspire joy. This blog is how I’ve decided to do that. These goals are important to me, and since this is how I’m working to achieve them, how could I give up on this? Most importantly, I'm doing this because this is what I want to be doing. This is something I'm passionate about. Even on the days when I feel like I'm not getting anywhere, I keep trying because this is what I enjoy doing. Likewise, you need to find your reasons for doing what you’re doing. Not just with your blog/hobby/small business--in all areas of your life. Once you know why you’re doing something, it will be so much easier to stay motivated. And, yeah, sometimes your reasons will kind of suck. “I’m going to school so I can get a degree and have a better chance of finding a steady job” is not a super fun reason to go to school, but it’s sure kept me motivated! There will always be things in our lives which we don’t love but need to live with--understanding why we’re doing them will only make them easier to live with. Likewise, there will undoubtedly be things which we do which have no reason at all! When we know that we’re not doing these things for a purpose--that they don’t add anything of value to our life--then we can gracefully let them go. 2. Take A Look Back...and look at how far you’ve come. Maybe I don’t have thousands on thousands of readers like some other blogs do, but those I do have are important to me! I haven’t made money off this blog specifically, but I’ve made more than I expected to make from sharing my art on my Redbubble and Society6, and now selling original art on my shop. I’ve made friends and grown as a writer and a person in the past year because of this blog. That’s not nothing. In fact, that’s the most important thing. If you’re not where you want to be yet, remind yourself that this is okay. Look at how far you’ve come. Celebrate it! Brace yourselves, it’s time for another cliche: it’s all about the journey, not the destination. It’s okay if you’re not where you want to be, because you’re not where you used to be, and you’re working towards something even better than you can imagine. So just enjoy the ride! 3. Shake Things UpSometimes, when it feels like I’m on a hamster wheel and running full speed in place, I know it’s time to shake things up. This comes in two forms: in my work life and my personal life. Often, all I need is to just shake up my routine a little bit. A long walk; a short trip; a quiet gathering of friends--all these can help me when I’m feeling stagnant. On the other hand, there are also times when the problem is with my blog itself. From working to intentionally engage my audience to something as big as a rebrand can all help me shake off that feeling of stagnation. This helps keep work fresh and exciting, and encourages me to keep trying! In the spirit of this third tip, the one-year anniversary of this blog has coincided with a rebrand. I’ve felt for weeks now that I want to narrow down my niche, but I wasn’t sure how or what to pick that wouldn’t be too limiting. After looking back at why I started this blog and what my goals are, I came to the conclusion that there was really only one path forward for me. You may have noticed that my byline now reads “The Holistic Traveler.” Holistic travel is travel which emphasizes creating connections, nourishing your soul and reconnecting with the wonder and joy that's within all of us. Google Dictionary defines holistic as “characterized by comprehension of the parts of something as intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole.” When we travel, we become part of something greater than ourselves. My goal here is not only to connect you to useful travel advice, but also to encourage you to forge greater connections with yourself, the earth and the people we share this planet with (the "holistic" part of holistic travel). In all honesty, this is not a big step away from what I’ve been doing. I’ve always tried to share a sense of wonder and community with my posts, and encourage you to seek that same sense of joyous connection for yourself--I’m just being more intentional about it, now. So what’s your take on all of this? A year is simultaneously a long time and no time at all. We’ve been through a lot together, from visiting places around the world to surgery to finding ways to heal ourselves, and I’m looking forward to all that this next year has to hold. I hope you are, too. Like this post? Why not share it?If you enjoyed this article, please leave me a comment telling me what you think! Or, if you found it useful, share it with your friends! You'll be helping me turn my passion for travel into a business, and more importantly, you'll be helping your friends out with any travel questions they might have, too. See more adventures!If you liked this post, you may also like:
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Hi, there! Call me Kris. I’m a world traveler, author and artist working to showcase the world's beauty and inspire you to find your confidence to see the world!
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