What Ditching My Blog for Three Years Taught Me

Three years ago, in early 2011, this blog Wordful dropped off the Internet.

I don’t mean it was hijacked or taken down, but the posting slowed down to a point of near-death. Then it just flatlined. The last post was on May 2, 2012.

The good news is I’m back, and the first thing I want to do is share some of the lessons learned from ditching my blog like a dropped popsicle on a hot sidewalk :

Don’t be afraid of what you want

Fear is the biggest reason most people don’t believe in themselves, so they lose sight of what they want, or who they want to be.

I started Wordful because I wanted to build an awesome blog. I still do. But my fear of failing at it got the best of me, and I got too uptight about trying to be perfect, so I abandoned ship.

It’s also important to know that I also had a fear of succeeding.

Throw rules and systems out the window

There are tons of rules, systems and advice that offer the “right” way to do things. The truth is — there is no right way.

Sure, there’s general advice on what works for most people — and yes, this can help — but it’s best to stay away from gurus that promise to make you as successful as them. What works for one person may not apply to everyone.

Your craft will reflect your unique character the deeper you go. But you won’t know what works for you unless you do it first, fail a few times, then apply some mid-course corrections.

Rewards and recognition are not the goal

The “old me” banked on the success of this blog, and I think that’s a big reason it failed. I was too focused on the outcome of making money.

Lately I’ve discovered that it helps to let go of outcome (future) and instead focus on process (now). In my case, I want to write awesome blog posts and connect with people through my voice and content.

Don’t be what you think other people want you to be

This one is huge, and it relates to fear — and I struggled with it: stop creating stuff just to please people. Save the soul crushing work for that boring, 9-5 office job I hope you don’t have.

Instead, create stuff that:

• makes you happy
• is honest
• lets you express yourself

Marketing matters

Old me blogger: Three star all-you-can-eat buffet.

New me blogger: Charming oceanside cafe with great table service.

Where would you rather dine?