Blog Writing Is Like Walking On Stilts

That dreaded time is here…

Time to write the next blog post.

Do you feel the same when you know it’s time to get about writing your blog articles?

As I continue to reevaluate my business and marketing practices, the one thing I keep coming back to is content creation. Or, in my case, lack of content. A task I cannot seem to master.

When I was younger, I was fearless. Nothing stopped me from trying or doing anything. If you put a task in front of me that I wasn’t sure I could do, I’d keep at it until I mastered it. I never shied away from a challenge.

There was the time my dad made walking stilts because he was always creating something. Every kid in the neighborhood thought they were the coolest thing, but those dang stilts were hard to use. Getting up, with the help of someone, was a piece of cake. Staying up and moving, not so much.

There really was no great incentive to learn how to master stilt walking. It was mostly about conquering something that seemed a bit impossible. Fear of falling and breaking my neck is the first thing that comes to mind now. But back then, I think I was most afraid of embarrassing myself.

Like blog writing or content creation, I need to figure out the specific fear holding me back.

After some evaluation, I narrowed it down to a few key reasons. See if these resonate for you, too.

The blog topics need to be unique.

It drives me crazy to read the same information with no new spin or take on the content. But the reality is, it’s not the topic but how it’s presented. I need to find my voice, tell you my stories, and hope you enjoy riding the wave of me getting there.

I fear that no one will want to read the blog articles, and they will sit there in the graveyard of trafficless perpetuity.

Who wants to write any blog for articles no one reads, right? I’m learning to let that one go. If one person reads this and gets something out of it, I’m okay with that. I won’t still be watching the traffic, but one reader is a reader that I did not have before. More important, though, is it is one person who hopefully got a tidbit or two of information.

Keeping up with the competition.

Some of my colleagues write every day, and it comes so easily to them while I’m just getting my bearings again. That means I need to commit to my schedule and keep working it for me – and that is not every day.

It also means that I’m embracing new concepts and ways to create blog posts. I’ve gotten good at documenting thoughts while building new and old skills. Coupling with dictation or voice-to-text and “writing” blog articles are much easier since my fingers don’t need to keep up with my thoughts. And I need to remember that my outlook is different than others, so it puts a new spin on old information.

I will continue to enjoy my colleagues’ posts and hopefully get some inspiration in the process, but I won’t let their prolific tendencies dictate my business practices.

Be a ninja girl.

This is where perfectionism comes into play. If you can’t do it 100%, don’t. Where I picked up this habit is still a mystery. Whoever invented this all-or-nothing approach sucks, but that’s on me.

I regularly counsel my clients about the importance of fresh, relevant content. Conveying that your website is a living entity that needs attention and care – including content. One of the first things we do is talk about a content plan – which is easy to do for someone else but not for me. Sound familiar?

Do you feel like you need to be a totally talented writer? When, in fact, you only need to get the words on the paper. Me too! They make editors and content coaches for a reason – to help you clean up your words, ideas, and thoughts. There are tons of tools to help you get your articles right, but the beauty of WordPress is it’s just as easy to make corrections when you find a spelling or grammar error or need to add/edit a thought.

Like mastering those stilts, I’m taking all of my fears and facing them head-on.

When I first started, I fell more times than I can remember. But guess what? I didn’t break anything. After working on those stilts for years instead of months, I could get up on my own and walk for miles. (Well, maybe not miles, but lots of feet for sure.)

The plan of attack.

• Build online marketing skills by focusing on one strategy at a time. Implement and watch the results. Then tweak them until you get what you need from them.
• Write about the topics you feel like discussing and write to humans. Then work on the SEO and make sure they showcase (somehow) your offer(s).
• Focus on one social media strategy, mastering it as you go. Right now, it may be Facebook; next month, it could be LinkedIn. It depends on where your audience can be found and what you are comfortable with.
• Take control of your blog writing and use all of the lessons you’ve learned from some of the greatest teachers and mentors.

How about you? What fears will you tackle to grow your business and live the life you love?