So over the past few weeks I’ve been trying really hard.
Trying at what you ask? This. Blogging. Networking. Branding. Really, the whole picture when it comes to a wordpress site and what you can link to it. And it’s good, it’s fun, it’s given me a nice little pass time.
But it’s been consuming. I’ve been worried about page views, staying up late thinking about post possibilities, and having a million and ten tabs open – all about the same subject. And to be honest, it’s not the most rewarding thing in the entire world. It’s great skill, and I want to keep working on it, but there is a balance somewhere in there that I’m not meeting right now. I’m going to announce something big online in the next few weeks. Something that I’m really proud of- and that’s that. But this, Anna Down South, is something I did for me, not page views, not career building… just Anna.
I’ve been reading blogs about what successful blogs look like, and I’ve been holding mine up in comparison. And if I want Anna Down South to be what I want it to be, I can’t be doing that. I need to make it what I meant it to be. I remember when I first started noticing that my beauty posts were more well viewed than my deep emotional posts. I thought that I needed to post more of that. Well.. I’m not a fashion blogger. I just want to share a cute outfit every now and then.
I’m sharing this for a reason, I’m sharing this because I think way to many people are trying to turn their blogs into something else because they feel like they are supposed to, because they feel like it will make them more successful, maybe bring them more money.
I think a lot of us fail to realize that the most successful blogs are built on passion, and if you’re not passionate about what you are posting about… you need to stop.
Anna Down South 
Hi Anna,
That’s wonderful that you’ve been trying so hard. I’m sure all of that work will pay off! You’ve built a creative outlet and what can be more wonderful than that? It’s so easy for us to get lost in trying to build a “successful blog” – which by the way, what is a “successful blog”? Is it one that has a ton of followers? One that makes a ton of money? Followers don’t equal money or happiness and money doesn’t equal success, especially if it’s in-genuine. The amount of blog advice posts has skyrocketed in the past year with everyone from A to Z telling you what you should be doing in order to create a “successful blog”.
It gets a bit noisy here on the internet trying to listen to what everyone has to say about the topic and in turn, you end up worrying about “well, if I can just get 10 more followers then I can reach 100!”. In the scene of everyday life, does the amount of followers really matter? Now, I’m not one of those successful bloggers, but as a genuine reader I do know that I am most attracted to people who are themselves. People who are doing something different than what the masses are doing. And if you are out there being YOU and not letting your mind fill up with what you “should” be doing (according to blog advice posts), then the people who like you for who you are will find you.
Point being, don’t be what everyone else says you should be in order to be a “successful blogger”. Because then you’re just being another version of them. Be YOU 🙂
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It’s so true, those blog posts seem to be in every corner of the internet you go too, and that shouldn’t be the main point of blogging, unless (maybe) you’re a PR specialist!
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