How to Be More Confident as a Blogger
Blogging can be a really fun way for many of us to express ourselves and let our creativity shine. It's like a blank canvas that's all yours that you can use to create the perfect masterpiece. However, in today's age of social media, it's easy to feel unconfident as a blogger, especially when you're just starting out. As you brainstorm on your ideas for your new blog or as you put yourself out there with your existing blog, without getting the response you wanted to get, negative thoughts can start to creep in...thoughts about not being where you think you should be yet or self-doubt or fear of being judged for the type of content you create. These can all be hindrances in being confident as a blogger.
I have had my share of ups and downs when it comes to this. I've had times when I was super excited about blogging and could care less about what anyone else thought and I've also had times when I felt discouraged and "not good enough." I've found that simple changes in my perspective and in my actions could help me gain the confidence that I needed to be resilient and to keep pushing through, even when results weren't coming as fast as I would have liked.
Here are the three things that I do that have helped me to be more confident as a blogger.
1. I don't (as much as I can help it) compare myself to others.
Comparing yourself to other bloggers is the quickest way to feel down in the dumps. It's basically like telling yourself, "hey, self, I want to make you feel bad about yourself today by comparing you to this other blogger who has been blogging for almost a decade!" That's a terrible thing to do to yourself.
Instead, choose to focus your energy elsewhere. Focus on what makes you unique as a blogger and find a way to make it shine, whether that's in the photos you create, the way you write, how you are on video, etc. Know the value that YOU provide and know that there are people out there who would love to read your content. They just may not know you exist yet, so keep promoting and finding new ways to reach your audience. ;-)
Also, find people to relate to who are in similar stages in their blogs as you are. I've joined some Facebook groups recently and it's great to cheer along other bloggers who are on the same path.
“Focus on what makes you unique as a blogger and find a way to make it shine.”
2. I blog with an actionable strategy in place to reach my blogging goals.
It was a lot harder for me to feel confident when I was blogging aimlessly. When I started blogging, it was just a hobby and creative outlet, but once I learned that I could monetize it, I made that a "goal" of mine. I put goal in parenthesis because I didn't define it as a clear goal with a clear strategy on how to reach it, at first. I just thought to myself, "that girl looks cool, getting free clothes and trips. I'd like to make money like that someday." However, "someday" isn't a timeline and simply looking at what someone else is doing and "hoping" you can do it, isn't' a strategy.
You will instantly become more confident when you research how you need to improve as a blogger to reach your specific blogging goals, focus in on those areas of improvement, and implement the strategies on a regular basis. Having a game plan in place can make things run much more smoothly and you'll start to see results faster.
3. I celebrate my small wins, along the way.
I know not every day will end with several new subscribers or a ton of interactions on social media, and I'm ok with that. Some days turn out better than others and that's the way life is. I celebrate my small wins that help me get closer to my overall goals. If I wrote new posts consistently one week, I feel good about it or if I got an email out to my list, I'm excited about it.
Blogging consistently takes true self-discipline because you're doing it all on your own without anyone holding you accountable, so any efforts to keep it up are worth celebrating! You don't always need to focus on what's lacking.
“Confidence as a blogger will continue to grow and grow as you keep going!”
Ultimately, confidence as a blogger will continue to grow and grow as you keep going! Continuing to learn how to get better as you go is the keys to success. I think a lot of bloggers give up too early because they fall into the trap of comparison or not blogging with a plan, but don't let yourself off the hook that easily (unless you just find that you hate blogging, of course lol). There are no overnight successes in blogging. Just continue nurturing your positive thoughts and know that your efforts WILL pay off.
