You know I love you guys right? I hope so because what I have to say is going to hurt.

You are your biggest obstacle to your own blogging success.

Yes, you.

Don’t look behind you or skip this post because you think it doesn’t apply to you. It does. And I must admit, sometimes it applies to me too.

Answer me this Batman:

• Have you ever asked for honest feedback and then gotten defensive with some of the critical replies?
• Have you ignored specific advice from blogging mentors or blog audits?
• Have you ever purchased a course and only completed parts of it?
• Are you using social media platforms that you don’t know how to use just because you think something is better than nothing?
• Are you participating in like for like, follow for follow, comment for comment type threads?
• Do you spend hours on social media without a strategy or plan?
• Do you post irregularly?
• If someone came to your blog today, would they be confused about your niche or purpose?
• If someone asks you what your blog is about, do you have trouble answering?

If you have answered yes to at least one of those questions, you are your biggest obstacle to your own blogging success; however you choose to define that.

5 Steps To Get Out Of Your Way

1. Help is out there (if you are willing to take it)

I get tons of emails. I get questions in my groups. I have clients that contact me at all hours. And honestly, if I know the answer and can help a fellow blogger over a hump, I am more than happy to do so.

But you know what is really frustrating? When a blogger asks your advice and then either doesn’t like your answer or totally ignores it. WTF!

I see this type of behaviour in Facebook groups almost daily. A blogger will ask for an evaluation of their blog or help with their social media strategies and suggestions come pouring in. Then I see the original blogger hold steadfast to their blogging strategy, that hasn’t worked for them.

2. Just try it

Listen, I am not all-knowing. But there are certain things that I have first hand, expert knowledge of, like Pinterest. After years of working it, I can glance at an account and tell you what works and what doesn’t. And most importantly, I can tell you why you are not getting any traffic refers from Pinterest.

Honestly, it is that easy for me and hundreds of other VA’s out there that work on Pinterest to see what you are doing wrong. If we tell you to do something, there is probably a very good reason we are telling you to do it.

But you don’t have to listen to me or any other blogger. You can forge your own way. You can be different. I hate the fact that so many blogs are the same.

You can figure out your own way and what works for you. That’s what I did. Years and years of trial an error. I actually think this strategy is the best for long term success but it does takes time.

3. Don’t be in such a hurry

Since when did the expectation of creating a successful business go from 5 years to 5 months? Yes, there are always a few lucky ones that have everything click right off the hop. They have a unique voice or find a niche that has tons of potential readers. Maybe branding and theme design come natural for them.

But that is not the norm. For most of us, we need to slowly build and adjust as we go. That is the key.

Adjust as you go.

4. Stay true to you

I totally understand when you ignore advice that goes against your vision. That’s ok. You must stay true to yourself or you will lose interest in blogging. Or you will feel dirty or undeserving if you do have success using tactics that don’t align with your moral compass.

5. Be more open to criticism

But if you have others telling you that they don’t know what your blog is about, or it is hard to read, maybe you should at least try to look at your own blog through their eyes.

If you choose to ignore suggestions on how to improve, that’s on you.