Your Feedback and Help is Needed!

As you know, I am building the first mailing list for this blog and one of the things which I found myself running into are barriers. So this article more or less will be dependent on your feedback.

Please help!

The post on the 3 types of blog visitors really has opened up my eyes to see that those who are really going to make sense of this blog are the visitors who have NOT yet reached out. Thus, if you are a regular commentator here or are even just passing through, can I have a moment of your time and ask if the questions below would interest you.

  • What is your direction with blogging?
  • How have you build your community around it?
  • How did you find your unique selling point?
  • How did you go about creating content?
  • How about a marketing plan?
  • Did you utilize a time management plan as well?
  • Finally, how did you put it all together to build your blog strategy?

What you’re seeing here are my plans to create an e-course on blogging soon. So yes, I’m revealing the steps but more than that, the content interest is where I also need your help with. Why should I even continue if there is no expressed like in the direction.

I have my point of view but I realize that without yours, it’s more or less an opinionated course. So I have everything outlined already and am ready to lock and load, but then here comes another question which is making me plan and then replan, and back to planning again.

That’s because my target audience started off as the beginner, then it came out to be a mix between the intermediate who already know what blogging is as well. And for the advance, they can also refresh because after all, we don’t want to forget where we were at some point. However, that seems to be trying to appeal to everyone.

It’s driving me out of my mind!

Now my final question would be, and this I would kindly ask you to respond in the comments as it doesn’t matter what level of blogging you are:

How would this e-course appeal to you? Share your thoughts.

Thank you so much for your support!

I will be taking a few days off from blogging to read through the feedback and focus my time on finalizing the lessons. So before the 200th post, which is the launch of this new mailing list, you will be hearing me talk about this a lot. ;)

Once again, I appreciate any help or time if you can to contribute! Thank you for making this blogging community an ongoing developmental process which is pleasant, kind and interactive.

Here’s to kicking off this blog’s new journey. :)

How to Overcome Fear and Turn It Inside Out

Happy Friday everyone!

I’m going to pass over another Biography Fridays and it’s for good reasons.

There are more important matters in terms of facing and today’s topic is something very real.

After our last conversation about overcoming blogger’s crisis, I thought about the path with great emphasis on the actions that I will soon be making online, and I am afraid.

Scared Facial Expression by Madartists

I am so afraid that I’ve even convinced myself, I need to have fear in order to succeed. However, another fear appears – the thought of never getting around to seeing success.

And I think it is this cycle that we can viciously run around in until the very last breath of air ceases to exist. So how many levels of fear are there?

Now that’s quite a thought.

What I want to do is look at it constructively.

What then can we do if we’re in such a state of mind?

Well, if you’re tired, your decisions will not be clear. Furthermore, fear drains you of the energy and the motivation you need to ignite the passion that is inside of you.

Taking a look back at the months I’ve graciously volunteered to research, gather and document information which I have no doubt readers will enjoy from this blog, I have continued to stick to that process and have not failed in that endeavor since.

That’s something that I’m proud of.

But fear can rid you of that pride.

It’s burning my insides as well and I’m frustrated. And I’m really pushing myself to get out of the rut, because I know that I’m three feet away from seeing gold. I feel my limbs telling me that it wants to give up. However, I’m not like that.

I’m going to be stubborn and the contradiction is, I foresee good things coming.

Somehow, when you invite fear in and let it mutate itself into your thinking, you’re in for a challenge. One which might be the best of your life. However, you won’t see it that way.

You’ll think that it’s a sign to stop, to quit, to run, to cease action.

I have felt all that and confided in my network of friends.

And I am still feeling it.

At times it puts me in a state of paralysis.

And there will be much more greater challenges that will ask me to be strong.

If I am not taking care of the health of the process now, I will honestly never know.

And that is a thought I want to share with you.

We will all fall into the side effects of fear – uncertainty, paralysis, mind-warped thinking.

So you have to be honest with what you’re doing, who you’re working with and what you’ll do.

And you need a plan. Construct a point of reference through which you will follow and stick to it. It’s going to require discipline and that’s where the progression will be seen.

Goal by jscreations

I will be honest with you, it’ll take more than a couple of tries but that’s the process.

This is why I believe there should be some standard to what you do online, a strict discrimination to the type of information you might read. At first I thought about this and I am against actions which puts me in a corner which I have to choose. However, you cannot please everyone.

You must make a choice whether you are ready or not.

The worse that can happen is you’ll fail.

However, if you haven’t accepted it yet, mistakes will make you the expert.

And because perfection is ideal, it’s not the reality which we live in. If that was the case, we’ll all be achieving our goals right now. However, we’re human and in order to understand ourselves, our strengths and finally, opportunities, weaknesses must be overcome.

So for you to get to point B, consider filtering out some grounds which you’ll like to communicate on, and it can be shocking what you’ll see.

Focus and you won’t drain yourself away from getting to your goal.

Furthermore, I am grateful for being around a community which allows me to reveal my weaknesses. Because I am no superwoman. I’m just like you. I have a dream which I want to put into action and through a plan I can make it successful.

And I believe that’s going to happen.

I believe you will achieve that level of success too.

Together, we  can.

And nothing beats an environment through which you can grow gracefully.

So thank you for letting me be me with you. I’m thankful for the support I have now with the new connections I have online.

That is something money will never buy.

I want you to think about the support you have as well. The energy they have given to you to help you no matter how long it took for you to get to the point you desire.

And because they have patiently been there for you, it’s something to honor.

Because it all comes down to compassion.

Let that overshadow your fear and put a smile on your face – your child, your significant other, your family. They all matter. Remember, no matter how many books, information and people you may surround yourself with, if you don’t get the message that awakes YOU to overcome your fear, perhaps you might not ever.

You might not achieve that vision you saw and furthermore, you’ll regret ever trying.

What do you think about fear? How has it turned you inside out?

I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

IMAGE: Scared Facial Expression by Madartists and Goal by jscreations

Do Less Whitepaper Style Writing, Say More on Your Blogging Voice and Overcome Blogger’s Crisis

I keep forgetting that the internet is more flexible than the formal workplace we’re used to sitting in. It’s an environment which is OK to let loose and lose the prim and proper clean-cut personality.

And what I’ve noticed looking back at the posts I’ve written, I thought, great pieces but only if I’m trying to get into an Ivy League school.

Over the last few months, I’ve become friends with bloggers that are not ivy league graduates and yet I’m speaking to them like they should be, isn’t that contradictory?

Moreover, this questioning of writing style aligns more with voice, is that how I really speak?

Blue-Toned Microphone Against White by Marc Dietrich

Yes.

You say professional, formal, I’m on it. You say casual, laid-back, OK cool.

But I’m passionate about deep conversations. I like to probe the innards that reveals for me the process and that’s why I go by the slogan, Relax, It’s Only Process.

Once you understand what is behind the scenes, everything else is easy-peasy.

And that’s me. It doesn’t work for everybody though.

You can call the enlightenment of a blogger is now something that is happening. That’s just that part of me that likes to categorize the new process at the moment. It’s also the nerd in me coming through, thinking deep to try to grasp a newfound reality.

This also happened when I tried to change the way I was blogging a few months back.

And I think it is time to fine-tune the direction of the posts on this blog too.

Many of you already know that I tend to write long posts. Even on a daily basis!

Why?

Because I want to. Not because I have to.

Before I even knew what SEO was, I made the blog my platform to practice penning articles.

So over the following months writing became more of an art, a process which began to develop and somehow, the main ingredient was left out – the conversation.

The pieces are great but it’s kinda stale.

Instead, it’s a report on informing you, my dear friend, on where I’ve been, how to do it and behind the scenes of it. I’ve given you manuals after manuals and whitepapers too!

So are you writing whitepaper-style posts on your blog as well?

Notebook Stack by Barbara Helgason

If so, maybe it’s time to ask yourself these questions:

  • Who are your readers and are they interacting with you?
  • Where are you in the process of giving?
  • Are you speaking to yourself or as a friend?

Blogging has become a job for me over the first few months because I had no idea what I was doing! I think business and I jumped into the blogosphere because I wanted a nice space for my own … just like everyone else.

I knew that there were going to be topics about marketing, branding, self-development and online performance. The catch to them all was I was going to make it my mission to put them into digestible bytes for you!

I believe I have accomplished that goal so far.

But as I kept flexing my fingers at the keyboard, I eventually found out that making money online is more about personality. You are selling yourself. Not your soul per se.

You are the brand through which your actions will be filtered through.

How you promote the things you do, teach it and even convey information is important.

Here’s where I thought ‘Shucks! What is my personality? Do I even have one?

I went into a blogger crisis and yesterday was one of those days . It was dark for me.

No sunshine, no rainbows. But I know that’s not going to be the last of it too.

It’s going to happen again.

When you have an uncertain voice, no real identity online yet and even your direction is unclear, you start to panic!

Panic Button

Furthermore:

I didn’t know that I’ll connect with great blogging friends.

I didn’t know that I’ll have a mentor.

I didn’t even know that the blog would have a mailing list!

This is part of every blogger’s rite of passage.

Network. Join a mastermind group. Get yourself kicked in the rear!

It has to be done. Otherwise, you’ll never know.

And that’s where I want to ask clearly:

  • What do you know?
  • What have you’ve done?
  • What is useful?

And is all that information valuable to someone who might possibly need it and you, yourself have credibility to explain it? Moreover, would you describe it as a whitepaper or invoke a conversation?

This is where we all fall prey to the blogging voice my friends.

I myself am guilty of it too because I’m just telling you to do things and like a mindless drone, leave no room for comments. Just do this and that will you?

What I’ve come to realize is that the articles are written for you to agree to.

Do I want your honest feedback?

Yes, but if I’m always writing like that I will never know.

I would want you to keep agreeing with me and then I myself will keep writing that way.

So I’m going to make an effort and modify that process around a bit.

Deep conversations on some days, more personality on others. Random surprises.

Evolve.

So that has been on my mind lately.

And I’m going to unleash it.

Now what’s on yours? I want to know.

IMAGE: Microphone (Blue) by Marc Dietrich and Notebook Stack by Barbara Helgason

What Working Under Pressure Has Taught Me

5 Months is a short time to build a presence online. So when the blog went under 100k, the workload didn’t decrease, it grew as well. Furthermore, when you’re thinking of growth, the pressure also grows. You want to do more of this and also that. Because if you don’t, who knows when you’ll get the motivation to try again.

Thus, these are some of the things I have planned for the future – inserting a mailing list, writing newsletters, setting up a squeeze page, product development, writing copy, joint ventures and so on. Did I foresee that? No, I saw it as it came.

It grew on me and the prompt to grow with the process naturally took on a life of it’s own. I’m loving it too as I’m having the time of my life putting ideas into action. Therefore, from now on, you’re going to see a positive line going upwards on analytics. However, I don’t want to burn out.

I’m sure if you’re venturing on this blogging journey, you don’t want to too. For these reasons, action on any level should be taken in steps. Besides, you might want to stick to the long-term efforts. It’s healthier and stronger just like building your bones with calcium. With that, let’s look into what working under pressure has taught me.

Everything Has A Deadline

Under Pressure by Paul

As I was thinking about working under pressure last night with a goal of 5 articles to write all under 500 words and on topics which I have no idea about, it became evident, deadlines create the desire to see things more clearly than one that doesn’t have a purpose.

How then can you instill that feeling without really putting yourself under the fire?

Remember when you are/were in school and procrastination takes over? When it comes time to cram, doesn’t that moment feel alive? You’re panicking, networking, finding connections so that you can get the perfect information you need.

That’s when you find out that you are really good at something. More so when you enjoy the topic and regret that you ever put it to the last minute to find out why. So your brain is burning so much cells, it’s almost a high that you’d wish you got accustomed to earlier.

Just remember that feeling and you’ll find your best self stepping forward again. It might take a little meditation or instilling a visual to get you situated but once you’ve grasp that feeling, let ‘er rip!

The downside is after awhile, you’re going to see a lag in your strength. You need to rest. Thus, that’s something you should not do often. Take if from Sally Neill, ‘Burn Brightly Without Burning Out’. We can all learn something from that.

Great Ideas Create Dialogues

In the middle of the night, when the crickets are chirping, the sound of my thoughts become alive. I think all my ideas are best around the flickering flames of a candlelight. Thus, who knows what goes bump in the middle of the night. Most likely it’s you!

So when you’ve got that awesome idea, let it flow. For myself, most of the freewriting are done this way. There’s this soliloquy going on inside molding facts and thoughts into reason. From there, forming the pieces into a potential dialogue is pretty much a process of sharing ideas.

When you’re under pressure, this is a crucial process. You have so much worries. However, you’ll be surprise how some of those illusions can become constructive conversation starters. Thus, you’re no longer experiencing a moment, but anyone else who chooses to see your fabulous idea will join in on the conversation as well.

Be a natural ice breaker. Create action for now. Instill a demand for feedback.

You’re Accountable For Your Actions

Bulbs by Salvatore Vuono

Being under pressure not only makes your ideas grand but also your worries. Here is where all the demons will start to invade you with what-ifs. Rather than clamping up and freaking out, lay down the law with your favorite drink and bring it!

Filter out what’s best for you now. You don’t know what will work unless you try it. Sometimes that may mean looking like a fool to learn a lesson the hard way. Yaro Starak said it best when he exclaimed, ‘Throw it out there and if it sticks, work with it‘. So follow-up with your results and keep on improving it.

It Only Gets Better

The best thing that can happen but is also a remarkable irony is you’ve produced something that has become a masterpiece. How then can it get better? Get crazier?

Now that logic doesn’t even make sense but most of us tend to fall into that path. Most prominently piling on the information that overloads on us. So if picking up the pace is what you’re thinking, you’re right but it should be in the opposite direction, within.

You’re going to mature each time you produce something spectacular. Better yet, the time you put into each attempt is a lot of work. Refining your path each time you hit a spot is essential to define who you are. This is also known as your branding strategy. How will you continue to portray your work?

What has working under pressure taught you? Share your thoughts.

IMAGES: Under Pressure by Paul and Bulbs by Salvatore Vuono

Why Aren’t You Succeeding?

Facing our fears is one of the most important steps towards any successful endeavor. That may include undertaking new goals, fighting off misconceptions and finally to prove to ourselves it can be done. The strangest part is after battling the external forces, you need to also fight the internal ones as well. Here’s where most of us would fail. Thus, old habits are hard to break.

Understanding Change

Wooden Figure by Marcus74id

Let’s imagine for one moment, that it’s the final step before reaching your goal and then you hear that creepy voice telling you, ‘you’re going to fail’. Because you believed so much in yourself, even in the negative thoughts, you become affected. So as I thought about the obstacles that I’ve overcame, getting near to success seems scary. It absolutely is. Everything I have done, worked hard for is then to strip away that which I have had and now don’t want? That really sounds attractive. :)

It could be the jitters I’m getting much like that runaway bride syndrome. I’m glad that didn’t happen to me. However, as I thought about change, it become apparent – I won’t let things go. I’m holding on to unnecessary weight and have further grown attached to some habits that it has become hard to toss out. Thus, through these attachments, the fight to hold on is so strong that it’ll even convince me that I’m not ready. Furthermore, it’s telling me I’m not good enough.

So When Are You Ever Ready?

With many of the things in life, you’ll find you won’t be ready for much. If you think about it, we didn’t plan for them as well. We’ve followed a system that has molded, branded and even influenced us to think for ourselves. Sometimes with not very good results. However, those of you who have mastered the art of seeing through the clutter, good for you. Your success is something we all strive for. On the other hand, it depends on the eye of the beholder.

Now, that doesn’t mean we’re not special. We didn’t want to. Ah, now here comes passion. How much of something do you really want that you would work day and night, hour after hour and even sacrifice some of your social life for? That’s something a lot of us don’t plan for but it comes with our wants. Yet, we don’t want to work hard for it. We want it on a silver platter like welfare benefits and even employment with insurance.

Just step back for a moment and look at how making ideas can happen. It doesn’t stop with thinking. The hard work and consistent effort in feeding your ideas continuously is key to what will eventually become your success. That can go both ways, good and evil. For many of us, that’s pretty much in blogging now. So how hard are you working on driving feedback to your content?

Making Sense of Wants

Lately, with new projects under my belt it has become evident, leveraging different streams brings with it new experiences. When you have work, you don’t think so much of the irrational stuff. It’s when you start becoming comfortable and fall into the trap of thinking you’ve been there that you’ll resolve into your old ways.

Now I don’t know if anyone else has had this feeling. The support in my life is the best it has ever been both on a peer and social status. So screwing up is the last thing I want to do but somehow putting doubt behind doesn’t seem realistic. I’m not saying I like negative thinking. No, au contraire, I don’t like it. In fact, those of you who have followed me so far know that I’m a really optimistic person.

Furthermore, at every stage you’re going to encounter challenges. Without them, it just doesn’t seem real. Why?

The habit of instilling worries has been so ingrained in many of us, getting rid of them requires a totally new mindset. I think we’ve all heard of this before. It’s always the mindset but what in the whole wide world does that mean?

Well, let me tell you what it means. It means changing the way you’ve been thinking about success. Changing the way you’re talking about it as well. It also means changing the way you’ve been seeing yourself in terms of winning. Does that make sense now? Kind of simple but we all make it so complicated.

What Success Don’t Mean

Master and Pupil by Marcus74id

Success has always been seen in terms of monetary assets on a social status and around here, where I am, I’ve come to see money as the root of evil. Perhaps the jealousies of folks who have NOT had success has spoiled my thoughts. Furthermore, I have taken their thoughts and learned to believe that they are mine. Thus, I’ve followed a crowd that has turned off my mind.

Take that thinking and go way back now. All of us are one way or another affected by negative thinking through our peers, our relations and even our own adaptation to the noise. Through time, not only does it become our way of life but more or less our limits. So ask yourself right now, ‘Why aren’t you succeeding?’

Are you following, being stepped on or going against the grain to change?

For me, it’s simple. I’m just afraid of being on the other side. Never been there. Never done that but I’m sure whatever illusions are challenging me, I’m willing to challenge it back. With support, anything is possible. It’s time to stop the following, let whoever wants to step on me fall. Most importantly, go against the grain no matter how harsh those hairs can be.

Heck, I didn’t survive the horror up to now to give up. I think you should give yourself a chance too. Together, we can fight our illusions and achieve the wants which we’ve been working hard to see.

Share your thoughts on success – where you are now and what drives you forward?

IMAGES: Wooden Man and Man and Pupil by Marcus74id