The Mindset You Need To Be A Successful Blogger

It’s easy to start a project and call yourself a content creator, blogger or vlogger, but to be successful one requires a different mindset. 

Before we get into that, let’s take a look at your creative process. 

Is Your Creative Process like this too?

In the beginning, you’ll feel so excited about your new project.

It’s like that rush you get at the start of the year when you’re setting your goals and you can’t wait to crush them.

You make to-do lists and carve out a plan.

You set your plan into motion, but then as the days go by, you lose that palpable energy you had at the start.

You get busy with school, work, relationships, you name it. You lose your momentum.

It’s happened to me time and time again.

I love the start of a new project when my creativity seems to be overflowing.

I’ll have so many content ideas that I can’t wait to work on them.

My energy is at its peak because of this creative adrenalin rush.

I’ll be glued to by computer working at it until late at night because I’m so focused.

And then, I’ll miss one day of working on my project because of something unexpected.

I’ll get tested with how I manage my focus and time.

I’ll miss another day and another.

Before I know it, I’m so busy that when I finally have the time to work on content, it’s a struggle to get back to it.

There will be days that you’ll feel the challenge to even start writing a new post or record a new video.

Other times, it could be that you’ve been pushing yourself to create, create, create and you don’t get the results you’d hoped for.

You may feel like you put in a lot of effort to produce something you’re proud about, but then you get less than 20 views.

There will be days when you feel like all that effort and hard work is for nothing.

It’s as if you’re stuck and you haven’t made much progress. So what’s the point of continuing?

If you’re having a tough time, will you just give up?

It happens to all of us, but it’s your mindset, your grit and your perseverance that will get you through.

The Mindset You Need to Have to Be a Successful Blogger

There are lots of things to consider when you’re starting a blog and want to be a successful content creator.

I’ve mentioned how vital it is to know why you pursue a project and to remind yourself of this reason.

Ask yourself this:

Is creating content a  hobby or do you want it to be a business?

Your answer to this question will be your guiding light throughout your whole content creation journey.

Again, this goes back to why you’re doing it in the first place.

If you want to be a successful content creator, then you have to have that mindset that your blog, your YouTube channel, or whatever platform you’re using to create content is your business.

Think of it as a creative business or think of it as a job where you get to be creative.

Don’t get put off by the idea that in order for you to start a business, you must have a business degree or a PHD.

When you think of your platform as your business, then you approach it with a business mindset.

You’re likely to stick it out and push yourself to achieve your goal, which is to create your dream life and be able to travel because of your creative business.

You’ll find the time to work on it because it’s important and because you want to succeed. It’s your path to a life you absolutely love.

For example, when I saw blogging as my hobby, I’d prioritise other things.

I wouldn’t work on it as much as I should have.

I would be so tired from school or work that I kept telling myself I’d work on it when I had more energy, but in reality, that never happened.

If I wanted my blog to succeed, I had to find time to work on it—no excuses.

Sometimes, I wonder where I would be now if I had adopted this mindset earlier, committed to creating content consistently, and put in more time to grow my blog.

I’m crafting this article with this mindset, so the tips and strategies I’ll be sharing with you on the blog will be with a business approach.

Even if you decide that content creation is not something you want to turn into a business or your full-time job, feel free to use the strategies for your blog, online diary or passion project.

Invest in the Right Tools to Make it Work a.k.a The Cost of Setting Up Your Dream Lifestyle

If you want to be a successful content creator, you have to be willing to invest in your business.

And like any business, there will be costs when starting out.

Your capital or initial investment if you’d like to call it that.

How much it’s going to cost depends on things like your domain, hosting, platform, and marketing tools.

I’ll break it down for you, but I’m not saying that the amount listed below is going to be the exact amount that you’ll spend.

It really depends on what you need and what’s right for you.

This breakdown is to give an idea of how much it costs and you can figure out how much you want to spend in the beginning.

Domain: $15/year

Host: $3 to $5/month

Theme: $0 to $100+ (usually one-time payment for a theme)

Marketing tools: $0 to $100+ (depending on the tool, it’ll cost about $20/month)

Your overall cost all depends on which tool you choose–premium themes or marketing tools.

If you want to look professional from the get-go, I highly recommend getting a self-hosted WordPress site with a premium theme.

Ideally, you start with the least amount of capital as you can and then upgrade once you start earning money.

Learn to set up your dream blog with this course

Work on it Every Day

But if you’re ready to commit to creating your dream lifestyle, then you must establish the discipline to work on every day.

Even on the days you don’t feel like it.

So even if you only allott a couple of minutes each day in the beginning, that’s all right.

Slow progress is better than no progress.

There will be days that are tough and you’ll feel like giving up.

You’ll doubt yourself.

I’ve doubted myself countless times and somehow I think it’s why some of my passion projects fell through.

It’s not easy to always believe in yourself, but on those days, be kind to yourself and remind yourself why you started in the first place.

Visualise Your Goals as a Reality

Another thing that will help is positive affirmations.

I have a whole document where I wrote about my dream life–as inspired by Lavendaire’s Vivid Vision–and I read it when I feel demotivated or overwhelmed.

It helps to rekindle that excitement about what I’m doing.

You can also try creating a vision board.

This will be a visual reminder and cue for you to get inspired to stay focused on your goals. 

Break it Down into Smaller Steps

This series started as one long article, which took days to create. 

When I drafted an outline, I realised how in-depth it was going to be and how much I had to say, which meant a lot of writing and hours to put in.

There were times it was hard to even start, but I would remind myself why this was important to me.

What helped with the feeling of overwhelm was when I broke it down into smaller tasks and batching similar types of tasks together.

That way I knew which specific steps I needed to take to get to that end goal. It was no longer that big, looming, overwhelming task.

I could tackle one simple task at a time and get things done.

When I finished my first draft, I rewarded myself by purchasing this blog theme.

It was my main motivation to finish because I love tweaking themes. It makes me feel super creative.

There were times when I’d look at my list of smaller tasks and think I have such a long way to go.

I’d remind myself that this blog was my business. I was going to own it.

I was going to make my dreams happen one small step at a time!

So a quick recap of what we covered in this article:

1. Examine your creative process
2. Shift to a business mindset
3. Work on your goals every day
4. Remind yourself why you started
5. Take small steps to achieve your goal

Continue the How to be a Successful Content Creator and Start a Blog Series:

• Why Do You Want to Be a Content Creator and Start a Blog?
• The Mindset You Need to Be a Successful Blogger & The Cost of Setting Up Your Dream Lifestyle
• What Type of Content You Should Focus On
• How to Create a Content Strategy Plan That Works
• How to Choose a Great Brand Name, Blog Host & Platform
• A Step by Step Guide to Setting Up Your Blog

Need more help? Check out the How to Start a Money-Making Blog online course.

Join my content creator course, How to Start a Money-Making Blog (Your Creative Business ) and learn to set up a solid blogging foundation.