I hardly push myself these days. I do not force things. Nor do I strain and strive my way toward expanding my blogging reach.
But I allow myself to be pulled well outside of my comfort zone. I listen to my intuition. I trust my gut. Blogging seems easier to me because I let myself be pulled from inner nudges versus pushing myself from ego forcing.
Observe the difference between the two states of mind. Pushing yourself is forcing yourself to do something. Force negates because force is fear. Forcing yourself to do something makes you work harder and harder and harder to get ahead. Burnout, failure and quitting follow.
But allowing yourself to be pulled outside of your comfort zone is doing fun, freeing and sometimes uncomfortable things from power. Power builds because power is love. Being pulled by power feels uncomfortable sometimes but predominantly makes work easier and easier over the long haul. Increased blogging success, freedom and peace of mind follow.
Genuine pro bloggers use power – not force – to guard against complacency. I rarely feel lazy, unmotivated or like I have arrived because my intent pulls me to blog versus my ego pushing me to blog. Being routinely pulled allows me to never feel complacent. I always have something, fun, freeing and fascinating to do because outcomes do not drive me.
Forcing myself would lead to a heavy reliance on outcomes-based blogging. Bloggers only push themselves through a need to get something; money, traffic, popularity, etc. What happens if I do not reach my goal? Hopelessness follows in some cases. Or perhaps I force myself to work harder and burn out. Or maybe I reach my goal and feel complacent, being firmly ensconced inside of my comfort zone.
Guard Against Complacency
Beware; bloggers amateur and pro need to be aware of becoming complacent. Amateurs sometimes become complacent after taking a few uncomfortable baby steps during nascent stages of their blogging campaign. Do not take the week off because you wrote and published your first guest post. Edge forward outside of your comfort zone. Nudge forward toward your next blog post. Never become complacent. Do not make the comfort zone your home. No blogger grows inside of their comfort zone. All bloggers go pro well outside of their comfort zone.
Pro bloggers become complacent sometimes after reaching heady goals. Some mail it in after going pro, sticking to their comfort zone, never expanding after become a professional. Others take their foot off of the blogging pedal after reaching an income goal or lifestyle goal. Being complacent robs you of greater freedom, fun and service. Being complacent robs your readers of the highest version of you, even if you already experienced some sweet blogging success.
Blog for the Love of Blogging
Leave blogging complacency in your rearview mirror. Blog mainly for the love of blogging to never lose your blogging fire. Find inner drivers, not outward motivators. Passionate bloggers never become complacent not out of hunger, greed or some other fear-based driver but because passionate folks who blog mainly for fun keep blogging, growing, expanding and enjoying the ride.
Follow their lead. Observe passionate bloggers closely. Fun-loving pros keep going because the work is the reward while results feel like extra’s, icing on the cake or a cherry on top. Passionate pros become almost completely invested in the process and care little about outcomes. This is one of the best ways to avoid becoming a complacent blogger.
