1. It doesn’t take much to get started in a new direction
All it takes to get started with a new project in your life is to make that initial leap of faith. Once you’ve resolved to make a change you can jump right in. The progress will be gradual but you can make huge progress initially if you are driven. With some research and a bit of practice you can learn how to run a successful blog and apply the principles that the pros use right from the start. This works for other parts of life quite well. Want to get in shape? Find a sound, well-written beginner program and do your research on the right type of exercise and nutrition that will allow you to reach your goals. Then you just stick with it and give it your 100% on a regular basis. Getting started is surprisingly easy. Even if it’s something that you’ve never done before, it’s the consistency and motivation part that trips people up.
2. There is always more work to be done
At first it seems like you can spend an hour or two of your free time at the computer typing away and manage to run a blog without it really affecting your life in a big way. When you start to take it seriously your research can take you in several directions and you will start learning more and more on a subject. You will become interested in a few different topics – you brush up on your grammar, work on improving your vocabulary, look at some writing tips, search the web for good pictures or gifs, start doing your own DIY projects or shop around for cool tech gadgets, you spend a few hours on social media… If you decide to do something meaningful you will want to do it well, and you will learn that there is always more work to be done. Self-improvement is a never-ending story and the more effort you put in, the more benefits you reap.
3. You may have hidden talents that you never knew about
We are all born with certain strengths and weaknesses. As much as people like to say that everyone has equal opportunity, it’s hard not to argue that we all have some inborn talents that allow us to potentially reach a much higher level of skill in some areas; however we are often unaware of some of these talents. It’s not until you start reading and writing about all kinds of different topics and try your hand at different disciplines that you start to realize just how much something suits you. Have you tried playing the guitar, cooking, creating DIY furniture, running or singing? You might be pleasantly surprised to find out that you aren’t half bad at it – and that it gives you plenty of enjoyment.
4. All it takes to get good at something is time and patience
People always want to hear about secret knowledge and take shortcuts to achieving their goals. One of the biggest truths in life is that mastering something is all about boring repetition. It takes plenty of time to get really good and the most important virtues you can have are patience and grim determination. You always keep coming back to the basics, perfecting them so that you can build upon them and develop further. It may take you an entire afternoon to write 1000 words at first, but if you keep going and write 1000 words every day, you’ll eventually get to a point where things come naturally and motivation isn’t an issue.
5. A good daily routine will lead you to success
The best way to ensure that you stay motivated enough to dedicate the necessary time into a project is to develop a routine. Human beings are creatures of habit and we tend to work best when we have a set schedule. You can try to write when the mood strikes, but it becomes too easy to procrastinate and a whole day can go by without a muse coming to inspire you. Once you start living by a simple schedule and break your day up into several routine tasks, you’ll quickly notice that you are able to get things done much more efficiently. You may even end up with more free time once you learn to be more productive.
6. Think twice before you speak
It’s easy to get carried away and mention things that may not be completely accurate while talking about a subject. You can also throw around unverified information that you’ve heard somewhere at some point and regard it as a cold hard fact. When you share your thoughts with a large and ethnically diverse audience, you become aware of the importance of fact-checking and thinking about what you are going to say. The backlash in the comments can be a really sobering experience. Thankfully, among the hordes of hateful trolls there are always a few people out there who offer constructive criticism and correct you without trying to insult you in the process. Critically considering the ideas you have, checking the credibility of the sources, looking at the possible implications and ways your words can potentially be misinterpreted – all these things allow you to express yourself better. By weighing your words carefully before you speak you ensure that you don’t spread misinformation, draw bad conclusions or come across as ignorant, arrogant or offensive.
7. Don’t try to impose your views on others – be tolerant of different opinions
A mistake a lot of new bloggers tend to make is to stick to their specific views and paint them as the “right way” or cue dramatic music “the truth”. Things are never black and white; every issue has a wide plethora of vibrant colors, each with a bunch of unique shades. If you believe that you are objectively right because you have personal experience and plenty of facts to back you up, then you can calmly and respectfully critique someone’s claims. Don’t just dismiss beliefs and opinions of others (especially on polarizing topics) as “bad” or “dumb”. You should always come from a place of understanding and be open for an intelligent discussion.
8. Don’t waste your energy on things that aren’t important
You can sometimes get so caught up in the minutiae that you forget about the big picture, or you end up wasting a lot of time on little things like weighing up which phrase to use or choosing just the right picture. I’ll be the first to say that the devil is in the details, but beyond a certain point your eye for detail becomes an obsession which limits your productivity. Adopt the 80/20 rule to life: focus 80% of your time on a few things that can give you the greatest results and 20% of time on everything else. Another way in which this applies to life is that you shouldn’t waste your energy on people who drain you emotionally and whose company you don’t enjoy. Keep good company and focus on developing connections with people that can help you move forward and improve. Anyone who has spent a significant amount of time blogging will agree that you get a whole lot more out of the experience than just the satisfaction you get from writing about what you love. There are plenty of important life lessons that you learn along the way and these can be applied to virtually any facet of life in order to better yourself and become happier.
