(play this softly in the background while reading, if you can)(it’s been on repeat for me today)
Once again, I’m going to get serious on the blog today. Maybe I do this too often, maybe you think I don’t do it enough. Whatever your preference, I’m going to lay it on the line today.
Earlier today, I posted on Twitter that I was a little bummed that my paid sponsor spots hadn’t had any bites. I asked for some advice from other bloggers, and here are some of the responses I received:
“Do a blog post. Reach out to some shops to swap as for giveaway. Compare pricing (too high?)”
“Just be patient :) And promote the crap out of them!”
Both of these I definitely agreed with, but the one that spoke to me most was from my good friend, Lindsay.
“I’ve gotten LOADS of great advice from “big bloggers”, and I prob won’t be doing paid spots until I hit at least 500 readers or so. The best advice I got was to focus solely on original content, clarifying benefits for my readers, and providing quality photos.”
For some reason, this really hit home for me. I spent a few months deciding on whether or not this was something that I wanted to do and having someone that I look up to tell me that they don’t even think they are big enough to do paid spots made me feel a little uneasy. I thanked her for her advice, and she quickly followed up with another tweet.
“Blogging is a personal journey! Just wanted to share my plan. I contacted a few bloggers I admire and got great advice!”
This resonated even more with me. Blogging is a personal journey. Why am I rushing to get to the “end result” and not enjoying what’s going on right now? I just had my 100th post and looking back, I have come so far since my first post. I’m finally doing exactly what I wanted: writing.
The constant comparison to others has definitely held me back. Not only in numbers, but also in life. I would never have felt the pressure to get designer things if I wasn’t a blogger. I carry a Forever 21 purse with a wallet that probably didn’t cost more than $15. Why am I so worried about what I have? Why do I want Tori Burch flats for my birthday? Can’t they just be normal flats? (Okay, I’m kind of going on a tangent now…)
I’ve changed so much since I started blogging, in both good and maybe not-so-good ways. (Michelle did a great job today talking about the funny ways blogging changes you and Amanda did an amazing vlog last week on comparisons and “superstar bloggers”.) Just sometimes, we need a reality check and a kick in the ass.
Basically, I just need to realize that it takes time. I have to be patient. After everything that happened this morning, I lowered the prices on my spots and have considered removing them all together. I sure would love if someone bought one, but I need to know that it may not happen immediately and that’s okay. I’ll focus on that later.
For now, I’m going to get my ducks in a row and focus on my awesome readers. (We hit 200 followers today!! How exciting is that?!) Be on the lookout for something special coming the next few days! :) I cherish each one of you and thank you for being here! We’ll grow together.
