My blog has been live for a year now. If success was measured in monetary value, then my blogging would be deemed unsuccessful.
A blogging (UN)success story
One quick search on “how to blog” will render hundreds of thousands of results on how to “make 6 figures a month blogging” or “how to make money your first year of blogging” or “how to make thousands of dollars by working a few hours a week”.
You want to know how much I made blogging my first year?
A
Big
Fat
ZERO.
Actually, if we are being technical, I’m in the negative. I’ve spent money but haven’t made it back.
Why? A few things spring to mind.
Rewind to a year ago when I imagined myself embodying the ‘mom boss’ persona.
The one that says you can have it all while doing it all. The one where you run a successful business from home while taking care of the kids full time in an immaculate house that smells of clean linen and freshly baked bread all while making it look aesthetically pleasing for the gram.
But it’s not working for me.
- Related: When Motherhood Leaves You Weak
So here are a few reasons why I haven’t made any money my first year and would be deemed ‘unsuccessful’ at blogging.
Money is not my main goal.
If I really wanted to, I could resort to click bait titles or spammy marketing emails or other unnamed things.. But I respect you guys (and myself) too much to do that. Sure, I may be able to ‘trick’ someone into clicking and buying but I would loose credibility fast.
My mission is to help people live within their means so they can enjoy the life they want.
Don’t get me wrong, I do appreciate the business potential of blogging and am working towards monetization. But, if I do decide to create a product or offer a service, it would need to fit within that mission. I just haven’t found the right one yet.
I value authenticity over volume.
As you can see, I don’t post every day or even every week. Some people post quality at a high frequency to which I say kuddos! Tell me your secret!
My perfectionist tenancies make that difficult but it’s something I’m working on. Done is better than perfect. But also, I don’t want to post just for the sake of posting. I don’t want to clog up your feed or inbox with things that aren’t beneficial or meaningful.
Done is better than perfect.
Sometimes I’m really inspired and can pump out content multiple times a week. On the flip side, I’ve also gone a month without posting (see reason #4). I try to be consistent but life happens.
I’m trying to find that balance between discipline, productivity, and taking a break.
I have other responsibilities.
If you follow me on Instagram, you will know I am a #boymom to a toddler and who keeps me incredibly busy. My husband has a job that requires flexibility. I may have plans to sit down and work but if something happens with his job or he gets called in, that trumps all.
And now for the main reason of my ‘unsuccessful’ blogging:
Burnout and mental health.
- Related: Strength for Today | Motherhood
There are certain times where I am so overwhelmed and I virtually fall off the map. At first I thought this was burnout given the whole: ‘stay at home mom, wife, building my own business, working a side hustle, cooking, cleaning, and everything in between’ stuff. But it wasn’t your typical burnout. It felt like more than that.
So I went to the doctor.
A series of issues were discovered, namely: PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Nothing quite wrecks your creativity and consistency like those. Then I started to see a pattern emerge.
I’ve been diagnosed with PMDD so basically for 2 weeks out of the month, I’m wading through molasses with a dark cloud of doom hanging over my head while I struggle to take a deep breath and keep my head above the waves.
It’s debilitating.
And just when I feel it can’t possibly get any worse, my hormones settle down. I start to claw my way out of the dark abyss to begin the repair process. I’m back to my ‘normal’ up-beat, go-getter self for 2 weeks.
And then it repeats.
And repeats.
The wait list to get into therapy was over 4 months but I’m happy to say that I’ve finally made it in!
I’ve been prioritizing mental health over monetization and I don’t regret it. In fact, I would encourage you to do the same if you can.
What is success?
If successful means income producing, then by those standards I am unsuccessful at blogging.
But I do not measure success through monetary value.
Success to me means helping someone, even if it is just one person. I want to show people that it’s okay to struggle. It’s okay to not have your life together. It’s okay to get help.
When someone comes to me and says, “this really helped me”, my mission feels accomplished. That is what keeps me going.
So what now?
I’m going to continue my ‘unsuccessful’ blogging but I’ve released the expectations that I need to monetize ASAP. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
I’m going to continue prioritizing mental health.
Before I may have said “hustle, save, repeat” but I’m starting to question if this mentality of constant hustling is good for us. To what end? Success is a moving target. If we’re so burnt out by the time we finally hit it, what have we really gained?
Success is a moving target.
I plan on exploring intentional living in addition to frugal living. They go hand in hand.
Frugal living is financially pairing down to the basics while intentional living applies those same principles to other aspects of life.
I’m going to continue to create YouTube videos because that is a fun creative outlet for me – check out my YouTube channel to follow along!
Lastly, I’m going to continue to create work that fulfills my mission: to help people live within their means and enjoy life.
What do you think about my ‘unsuccessful’ blogging journey? Do you have something in your life that didn’t turn out the way you originally thought it would? Let me know down in the comments below!
Remember, take it easy on yourself. Life is a marathon, not a sprint.
Thanks for writing this article. I’ve been blogging for almost 2 years now and have made very little compared to what I have spent on it. And I am okay with that! Though there are days where I definitely do NOT feel okay with that especially when I hear how much others are making. But I got into this for similar reasons – to help educate others. Thanks for being authentic!!
I love this so so so so much. I write an environmental mama blog, and it is so hard to keep my chin up when everything I see out there is just about making money. You have totally made my day.
Thank you for letting me know this helped you! YOU have made MY day!
Such a good reminder that there’s so much more to life & business than just making money and doing what everyone else is doing!
I know it sounds cliche but life really is about the journey.
“Before I may have said “hustle, save, repeat” but I’m starting to question if this mentality of constant hustling is good for us. To what end? Success is a moving target. If we’re so burnt out by the time we finally hit it, what have we really gained?”
This really resonated with me! Run faster, run harder, isn’t working. I don’t think we were created just to check off boxes. Even if we fulfill the To Do List, like you said, what have we gained? Thanks for raising the questions that need examining!
Glad this was able to make you stop and think! We were created for more than finishing to do lists.