For those of us who blog for a living, the one thing we are all obsessed with is traffic numbers, and big numbers to be specific. Traffic is life blood to a professional blogger because our revenue is dependent on it.
Some of us may even tie our self esteem into our traffic numbers as a sign of how successful we are because traditionally, the more traffic you have, the more you are deemed influential and "important."
But lately, I've been thinking more deeply about what really is important when it comes to blogging for a living.
Is it just about the money?
The answer really isn't so simple because...
...yes on one hand there are people who are simply in it for the money like on one extreme end, the spam bloggers who are all about SEO tricks and internet marketing. These folks have learned to make good money by working the system and making the system work for them. That style may not be for everyone or even respected, but again any form of blogging for a living isn't for everyone.
On another end, there are those of us who really have something deep inside we want to say and stand for, and want to make a living from that message. The message and meaning, however, comes first because if our heart isn't in it, it will impact our writing which affects traffic, then revenue.
Going that route, I believe in order to make even a decent living from blogging, you have to be writing about something that you are not just about passion about, but just can't shut up about. Because really, that is what blogging is day in day out, year after year.
You can't shut up. You gotta keep writing, videoing, podcasting, or photographing.
For me, without a doubt, I can say that blogging for a living is not just about the money because if it were, I would have bailed two years ago. I've just hit 3-1/2 years and am still living like a college student, and yet happier than I've ever been in my life. My internal gain has been tremendous, and I'm patient that the external gain will eventually follow.
I had a great comfortable life in corporate America filled with regular paychecks, health benefits, and most importantly a sense of financial security. But, my heart was consistently miserable. Yeah, you can get laid off, but at least you get a severance package. On your own, you have no idea where money is coming from, and you have to have the stomach to live in that kind of unknown.
I blog because it's a platform that allows me to best fulfill my life purpose work. Blogging is not a job, it's me being who I authentically am. That realization hit me in January when I was vacationing in the Philippines with my parents.
It's amazing how jaunting to another country can give you clarity as it gave Elizabeth in Eat, Pray, Love
At the core, I believe that those who go into blogging for the long term really do it to make a difference somehow. Sometimes we may not even be conscious of that fact when we start. I know I wasn't.
I started blogging ranting about wanting to wear my skinny jeans again. Looking back, it just sounds so superficial and ridiculous. But somewhere along the line, my blog and my voice became so much bigger than a pair of jeans.
Sometimes, it feels like blogging found me.
Many of us blog to be heard and to create something that has meaning. We may or may not choose to blog for a living, but there is a part of us that just needs to express, and perhaps do something that will impact others.
On some level, we got tired of the old systems. We got sick of status quo. We were done feeling frustrated that we couldn't do something in the world around us.
We wanted freedom. We craved the excitement of doing something original and unexplored with unlimited potential and reach. Blogging is free and uncensored, at least in most parts of the world, so nothing can stop you except what you believe.
Blogging as a profession is still very new. If you don't make money directly from your blog, there are many ways to make money because of your blog. On the glamorous end, there are those making six figures and even getting seven figure book deals and movie deals based on their blog starring Oscar winners. But for every one of those high rolling bloggers there are millions who blog and most likely won't stay in it long enough to make enough money to buy a new laptop.
When I have those days when I start feeling doubt and start brushing up the resume because I'm feeling like enough is enough, inevitably, I'll get special emails from readers who thank me for what I write, and for sharing my own personal experiences. These emails are not just, "Hey Steph, thanks for the great content!" Nope.
I call them special emails because they are the kind of emails that pull at your heart, and remind you that you are part of something bigger.
These are emails from grateful souls who share some of their own life story and tell you how your words have helped them get through a hard time or helped them just have one day or moment of relief knowing that they are not alone in feeling what they feel. Or, they are emails of joy thanking you for inspiring them to go for their dreams, or for sharing your knowledge so that they can achieve their goals too.
The timing of those kinds of special emails I feel is the universe's way of saying, "Um, not now. You are not to give up blogging just yet. You still have more to do. We still need you to keep going."
I'm reminded that blogging is not just about the money or big traffic numbers, and wealth is not just about a check in the mail. I'm making a difference. I have soul satisfaction, and that makes me feel rich in ways I never felt in my corporate career.
And so I blog. I continue to be authentic. I continue to move forward and do what I do best, and I continue to problem solve until I figure out the monetizing part of the puzzle.
And I say the same to my fellow bloggers who are feeling stuck between two worlds, financially frustrated yet filled with a bigger purpose. Keep going. It may take longer than you thought, and it may feel like a turtle's pace, but do not stop. You're not done yet.
