Let me tell you a crazy fact about me: I started blogging when I was a teenager in 1998, and have written regularly on this blog since 2008. Even if you’re a new blogger, you probably already know the highs of inspiration and the lows of feeling like no matter how hard you work there’s always more that you should be doing. Today I’m going to share how I stay motivated after seven years blogging at KylaRoma.com, and seventeen years (!!) after I started my first blog.

Blogs come and go all the time. But mine isn’t still here because I’m special, or because I’ve always felt clear and driven.

I don’t have writing superpowers. My last English class was in high school. While I really enjoy writing, and I love connecting with readers, I’ve been through ups and downs in how I feel about blogging many times. Just like anyone who writes regularly, there are times when I love it – like right now – and there are times when I’ve really struggled with how I want to write, the kind of blog I want to share, and with what corners of my life I feel comfortable sharing.

One of the things I love most about talking with bloggers is that the chances are wherever you are in your blogging journey, I’ve probably experienced a corner of what you’re going through.

Here’s what I mean: I’ve blogged as a hobby, monetized my blog as a side hustle, used third party ads, sold my own ads, sold digital products, physical products, and made the work through my blog into my full-time job. I’ve pitched media, managed lulls in sales, been booked out eight months in advance, written and re-written my bio, and spoken at conferences. It’s so easy to relate, swap stories and advice when there is so much common ground.

I’ve even had someone knock on my front door and introduce themselves to my husband by saying, “Hi, my name is Sarah- I’m here from the Internet.”

(His completely unsurprised response: “Well it was bound to happen someday! Come on in.”)

This isn’t to say that I’m perfect at any of this, but ultimately blogging is a huge part of my life. It’s how I’ve met most of the best people I know, it’s given me the amazing opportunity to work with people all over the world as a designer and coach for business owners and bloggers, it means I know people in almost every city I travel to, and it’s how I was able to start working for myself full time in my twenties! I love it.

And at the same time, no matter where you are in your blogging journey, it can be overwhelming.

No matter how high your stats are, or how big your dreams, sometimes we all feel like it would be a great vacation if there was only pressure to post. Instead, there’s a lot of talk about creating different content for all of our platforms, and the need to have a defined strategy for every aspect of your online presence. It can feel like there’s always something to improve, and another way to avoid certain doom by doing one thing wrong.

Here’s something else I know:

You won’t build your dream blog inside a pressure cooker of rules and expectations.

So let’s shake that off and find a better way to stick with it. And by a better way, I mean a way that feels better. Because even if you love blogging and are destined to take over the internet with your big ideas? You’re going to have lulls. So let’s arm you with some secret weapons…

These are a few of the ways that I’ve stopped being an overwhelmed blogger and stuck with it for the long haul:

.

Remember what you love about blogging, then make that more of your experience.

There are lots of little things that bloggers do each week. What is your favorite? Do you love community building? Writing? Finding new bloggers and encouraging them? Build habits that emphasize these things in your daily and weekly experience, and that will change how your blogging experience feels.

Similarly, if you’re going through a season where writing is difficult, challenge yourself to a getting a ton done in a short amount of time, and then taking a break! Could you write five post drafts in one day? In two days? What would that make the rest of your month feel like? Shake up your habits, challenge yourself, and see what happens.

Give yourself permission to start now and make adjustments later.

The most important thing is to start. If you aren’t feeling confident, remember that what you can bring to blogging (and anything you do) today is more than you’ve ever been able to before, and you’re only going to improve from here as you practice.

Take action, look at the results, then adjust. You can do this for writing, for SEO, for social media… for any aspect of your blogging. Your best effort right now is better than the perfect effort that never gets down on paper or into the world.

Know that you’re going to make mistakes, but none of them will be fatal.

Like the last point, it’s tempting to feel like we need the right answer to move forward and that the wrong choice will ruin us. Your wrong choices will teach you about what works for you, what doesn’t work for you, what energizes you, what your audience loves. All of those little experiments that don’t work out perfectly? They’re an integral part of how you succeed.

The trick isn’t to stop making mistakes; it’s to fail faster. You have to swing and miss before you hit a home run. It doesn’t mean you’re bad at baseball; it means you’re playing the game. Be kind to the people around you, honest to yourself, and apologize when you see the error of your ways. Everyone has been there before.

Remember that even well-meaning advice from anyone who isn’t your ideal client or a trusted resource on the subject is going to be confusing.

When we want assurance, it’s tempting to ask everyone from the mailman to your mama what they think (and hope that they love it!) their advice. But is your mailman or your mama ideal client? Then their opinions on your blog or biz will just confuse you. (Click to tweet it!)

Instead, find people who have similar problems and dreams to your ideal client and ask them out for coffee or Google Hangout meet ups. Ask yourself big questions in your journal. Book a one on one session with a mentor you trust (I’m going to offer those soon if I’m on your list!). Print off emails and Facebook posts from people who match your ideal reader profile and save them, then use the questions they ask to brainstorm. Trust that you’re doing the work, and that means that you’re getting better every week.

Find Like-minded People.

And of course, it helps when you have like-minded people to cheer you on! There are many Facebook groups for bloggers and entrepreneurs to connect and share stories. Search for meet-up groups like Rising Tide Society’s TuesdaysTogether to find your local tribe. Look through hashtags on Instagram to find new people to follow and get find new inspiration. There are more ways to connect now than ever before. Be bold and use them!

How long have you been blogging and how do you feel about your blog right now? How do you stay inspired and excited?