The thing called “BLOGGING”

When I started blogging two year ago (and had no idea what I was doing or what it would lead up to) I was most excited about the community I had stumbled into. There were so many amazing and strong people out there, writing their stories, sharing their experiences! I finally felt like I had found my “people” and found myself pouring my heart into my space and into blogging. I was being challenged creatively, mentally and emotionally. I loved blogging. I loved every part of it and all the amazing things it was doing for my life.

Recently, though, there’s been a shift in the blogging community. I’m not talking about the “eCourse” shift. I’m talking about the “I don’t like this aspect of blogging/social media, so I’m going to talk negatively and bash everyone who does it this way” shift. It’s just been so negative lately in the blogging space. And I’m not talking about the casual blogging tip posts where bloggers share what they have learned or what strategies have worked for them.

I think it really struck me just how negative the blogging culture has become when I was reading a post about a blogger who decided to stop pursuing follows and likes and who just wanted to write and be happy with that. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that! Go ahead! However, when I scrolled down to leave a response, someone else’s comment caught my eye. The person who left this comment basically said her new motto for the year was that she was going to immediately unfollow any blogs that were too cute, nice and creative and made her feel bad about her blog.

I sat and stewed about that comment for hours. What kind of mentality is this? Why must we immediately stomp on someone’s hard work because they may be a few steps ahead of us? Why do we get offended because someone might work harder than us? Where is the support for each other? Why can’t it be “5 reasons why I read your blog?”  Why must people tear each other down because they don’t share all the talents as someone else? I’m not a crafty person, but I don’t immediately think “wow, that person is so talented at whipping out crafts that they make me feel worthless, so I’m not going to read their blog anymore.” Instead, I try to appreciate their talent and enjoy looking at their hard work and feel inspired to try something similar when I have the time (which I probably won’t, but hey, I can dream!) There is no reason for blogging to be a competition; every person is unique and has their own story and we should be celebrating that instead of tearing into each other and using our blogs to dig at each other!

And yes, if you want to monetize and turn your blog into a business, there are definitely strategies and techniques you can use to be more successful at turning your blog into a biz. I LOVE reading blog tips and tricks, pouring over new strategies and sharing what’s been working for me. I’m not dogging on anyone who shares their strategies for success; I think it’s amazing when bloggers share those things to help others and I try to share my (limited) knowledge as well! And the cool thing is that you could do something totally different than me and be just as successful! Those kinds of posts are awesome and so needed in the blogging community; but only when done in a positive and encouraging way.

And of course, not every type of blog/niche is going to be your cup of tea. But that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate those types of bloggers and the great work they do over there! My point is this: do what works for you and what makes you happy!

It just makes me so sad to see all of the posts out there that have such negative undertones, instead of celebrating the diverse talents and successes of everyone. I know a lot of amazing bloggers who work really hard and are hustling because they have blog dreams and there isn’t anything wrong with that. And I know some people who use their blogs to share what’s on their heart and don’t bother about page views. There isn’t anything wrong with that, either. Let’s celebrate them all!

No matter what kind of blogger you are, no matter what journey you are on, if you are happy, that’s all that matters. If you want to write sponsored posts and monetize your space, GO FOR IT! And if you just want to write about your life and what’s been going on, do it. If growing your followers makes you happy because you are connecting with like-minded people, THAT IS OKAY! And if you don’t give a crap about who is following you or who is reading your blog, that’s just fine too.

This is all I want to say: as a blogger, when you sit down to write on your piece of the internet, you are writing into someone’s heart. You have the power to connect with someone out there who may feel alone or who may feel discouraged. YOU have the power to make connections that could change someone’s outlook, that could motivate someone to go after a dream or that could simply inspire someone to buy that red lipstick they’ve been afraid of. Use your words to spread positivity!

There is enough negativity in this world and the blogging culture doesn’t have to part of it.