I think it’s time to take this blog in a new direction. To be honest, I’ve really been struggling to come up with new material, and I’m becoming increasingly frustrated with the whole thing. I’m just not enjoying it as much as I used to. I need to get that spark back, because blogging is something that I love, or well used to love. It’s after becoming more of a chore recently, something that I “have” to do. And because of that, I feel the quality of my work is not what it used to be.
I remember when I first started blogging, I used to really look forward to sitting down and coming up with new content. Most of you will remember those really motivational pieces that I used to come up with. I got an amazing reaction to those posts, so you might wonder why I stopped doing them. It’s not that I’m not motivated anymore; I’m more motivated than I ever was. I’m working harder than ever, and I’m really starting to make some progress towards my goals. And that right there is the problem. It takes so much out of me to motivate myself, I now find it difficult to motivate others like I used to. Every single day, I need to dig so deep to find motivation, and not give up. Every week presents new obstacles that require intense willpower to overcome. For example, all this week I’ve been struggling with an extremely painful calf injury. Every day I’ve had to go the extra mile to make sure I recover as quick as possible. I was barely able to walk Tuesday morning, but yet made it through a full training session. The pain barriers I have to go through at times are fierce, and require huge willpower.
Those articles that I used to write; they were not easy to do! Although I have a flair for that type of writing, it takes a lot of effort to come up with decent content. Before I’d even start writing, I’d have to listen to motivational music for at least 30 minutes. Then it probably took 90 minutes to write it, followed by 30 minutes of editing etc. And those articles were only about 500 words! In that space of time, I should be able to write much more, but due to the nature of the articles, they are a huge strain on the brain and emotions.
I’ve been blogging on this site for a couple of years now, and I suppose the truth is, I need money. Every day I’m working so so hard, in all aspects of my life, and not seeing a cent for my effort. And that is frustrating. Money is not my motivation, and never truly will be, but I see people earning money for working part-time jobs, and it’s tough. If I could get paid for all the hours I spend in the gym, I would be a very rich man. Granted, I have got paid for writing, and have made some money from advertising, but it’s nothing really. I write for sites and don’t get paid a cent, so why do I do it then? I believe in my heart and soul that every day I am making money, I just haven’t gotten it yet. But I believe that what I am doing is going to give me one hell of a reward. In fairness, through this blog I got to attend the Web Summit, and have done an interview for a book that is to be released soon, but for the effort I put in, I would love to be hugely rewarded in some way. I don’t know when this will be, but I have to keep believing, and doing my thing. This is life for me at the moment, but it won’t be this way forever.
So you can see my frustration, and because I worry so much about SEO, keywords, and getting my blog “out there”, the quality of my content is suffering. I also feel as if I’m not being myself, rather, I’m writing what I think will get the most views, regardless of how good it is. This is not how I want to continue. I had a fantastic connection with some of my readers in the past, and I want to re-establish that connection, by being myself. I often think about writing really humorous posts or whatever, but that’s just not me. I’m a pretty serious guy, and that’s just the way it is. I love a laugh and a joke at the right times, but when I’m “working”, it’s strictly business. Yes, I post motivational quotes on Twitter, and that is me. I believe in that sh*t, because I am living proof that they can affect your mindset, and help you achieve your goals. Some people might tweet about getting drunk and twisted, and get loads of retweets. Does it annoy me? Too right it does. But I’m sure I annoy them when I tweet about going to the gym or training, so it works both ways!
But listen, I’m not casting judgement. People should do what they want with their lives. Some people prefer to go out every night of the week, I prefer to train, go to the gym, do my college work, have a bit of a laugh, and get an early night. And I’m pretty happy doing that. What can I say, I’m living the dream, my dream that is. But I have newer and bigger dreams, that require huge effort, every single day.
So what does this mean going forward? I’m probably going to end up doing shorter posts, but more frequently. They could be to do with my life, football, technology, history, I don’t really know! Whatever I’m thinking at the time I suppose! But I’m going to start enjoying blogging and tweeting again. I’m not going to worry about the future or making money, because I know that if I keep doing what I’m doing, everything will turn out just fine. Football and college are my two main priorities at the moment, and I want to maximise my potential in both. But I want to continue providing updates about my life, because I have come to realise that I don’t live the average life of someone my age, and many people are inspired by that. My sole aim with this blog has always been to inspire and motivate, and I want to continue to do that.
Finally, I want to thank those who have stuck with me! I know I’ve lost my way of late, but I’m going to do my best to get back doing my thing, whatever that is…;) All I would ask is that if you like my stuff, maybe give a RT or Favourite on Twitter, it’s a great help!
See, I just wrote over 1000 words without much effort. Yes, writing from the heart is the way to go haha!
#OutworkTheTalented, all day, every day…
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