As I write these words on a sunny afternoon in New Jersey, I ponder how I thought 12 years ago, versus how I think now. The first warm, Spring-like afternoon here in NJ would mean washing my car, shooting hoops and heading out at night with my friends. I worked a job all week long. I did not enjoy working the job but feared losing money, so I did what I did not want to do, to avoid poverty. Saturday and Sunday were ME days; all about me, my passions, my fun, anything that benefited me, me, me. I had to take care of myself.
Today, I spend a lovely, warm day thinking about YOU, not me. I write 8-10 blog posts for us. Sure it benefits me to write and publish posts. Traffic and profits flow to me. However, most of my blogging intent focuses on generously serving you. Why else would I write indoors on a lovely day? Cold, wet weather dominated NJ for weeks. I could be outside like most folks to enjoy sun, warmth and comfort but I learned long ago how shifting from caring for my needs to caring for the needs of readers, customers and clients, is the big shift that helped me transition from employee to pro blogger. Most folks care only for themselves and families. Nothing wrong with that, but it is impossible to be a pro blogger if you just try to meet your needs and your family’s needs. Why? Full time blogging profits flow to you if you meet your reader’s needs for thousands of hours by publishing free content through a variety of channels. Blogging is not an employee-like, “I publish a post and someone pays me”, type deal. Nope. Cultivating a deep sense of care for other humans fuels pro bloggers to go from full time employees to full time bloggers.
Employees often do an awesome job. Some love their jobs. But employees need to change their mindset to become a professional blogger because what works for employees does not work for bloggers, in terms of pay and responsibility. Employees get paid a set salary every 1-2 weeks for fulfilling set responsibilities laid out by their boss. Bloggers do not begin making small amounts of money until after hundreds to usually thousands of blogging work hours, and take full responsibility for a wide range of blogging duties to fulfill, in order to go pro, 3-4 years down the road. Again, you need to be thinking primarily about serving other people to blog 10 hours daily for 5 months, for free, before making a single penny through blogging. Money comes but in varying amounts. Money increases but payment times vary. Eventually, you make enough money to leave your job and to become a professional blogger. But this never happens if you only think about meeting the needs of yourself, your spouse and your kids. Think outward. Serve humanity. Set the proper intent for being a professional blogger.
Get super busy helping people for free – for a sustained period of time – and you will eventually help many people for pay, through your eBooks, products and services. Think about people. Care for people. Meet their needs. Be of service. Publish another blog post. Publish another guest post. Blogging gets easier if you help folks generously. Blogging gets tougher if you just try to help yourself. Make the shift from employee to pro blogger. Be a generous servant who largely puts other people’s needs above your own.
eBook
Did you know I used to be a security guard before becoming a pro blogger? Do you want some of my tips for becoming an entrepreneur? Buy my eBook:
From Overworked Security Guard to Balling in Bali: How I Did it
