This is a guest post by our top contributing author and travel blogger Ryan Biddulph. He is the founder of Blogging From Paradise, his course 11 Fundamentals of Successful Blogging and the author of more than 126 eBooks.
I commented on blogs a few moments ago.
But after 5 minutes I felt the urge to stop commenting.
I logged in to Cori’s blog and began writing this blog post.
I do comment genuinely on blogs for a short period of time daily. But I spend most time blogging and guest blogging because I am following my blogging path.
Sometimes I stray off of my blogging path. Blog commenting and social media chatting seemed to pull me away from my blogging purpose the past week or two. But I spotted my error to hop back onto my blogging path.
Becoming a successful blogger requires evolving.
Evolving demands you stay on your blogging path. But finding your path challenges you. Staying on blogging track feels uncomfortable. I felt comfortable genuinely commenting on blogs for hours each day over years. But I felt an urge to begin guest blogging and blogging more often because each offered me greater exposure and increased value for my readers.
I built strong bonds commenting genuinely on blogs but felt a strong inner pull to increase my exposure. Blog commenting felt comfortable to me. Guest posting required more effort, time, energy and commitment. I felt quite uncomfortable making the shift but had to do so in order to expand my success. More importantly, I began guest posting to help more bloggers.
Be prepared to walk a steadily changing blogging path over your online career.
New bloggers seem content with writing and publishing a 600-1000 word blog post weekly. Bloggers who commit fully to their craft over years observe their path change dramatically over the long haul. I slammed into writer’s block after 300 words when I began blogging in 2008. Now I can write 5-10 posts daily. My path in 2008 seemed to be writing and publishing a post weekly. But I gradually published one post daily as my path evolved. Years later I began guest posting. Podcasting entered the blogging fray for me a few years later.
My blog changed too. I trashed one blog in 2013. I trashed another blog in 2014. Blogging From Paradise was born in 2014. My blogging path changed once again because I chose a different blogging niche.
Following your blogging path tends to pull you away from other blogger’s paths.
I do not build an email list. Nor do I SEO-optimize blog posts. Goodness knows my blogging path feels drastically different from most pro bloggers. I write short, punchy, mindset themed blogging posts almost exclusively. No other established pro took this route. But I had to walk my unique blogging path to be the blogger I am today.
Walk your blogging path. Honor your intuition. Do not stray for too long; leaving your blogging path lumps you with the herd of blogging sheeple who experience mediocre or failing blogging careers. Follow your special blogging journey. Prepare yourself to feel uncomfortable at times. I still observe my ego doubting my blogging strategy sometimes, asking me if I could drive more traffic and profits with a big email list and Google traffic.
Nope!
MY blogging path does not include big lists, Google traffic or any of those strategies. Blogging and guest posting freely seems to be my blogging path for now.
But my blogging path is always subject to change, just like your blogging path.
Be open to fun, freeing blogging ideas invading your mind.
Be flexible.
Be open.
Walk your evolving blogging path.
Experience the greatest blogging success.
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