The More Things Stay The Same The More They Change.
It’s not far off three years since I started this blog.
What started out as a project to win world domination has grown legs and become something to keep me out of mischief.
It’s a way I can help people and get to know others who I wouldn’t necessarily meet under normal circumstances.
It’s become part of me and a constant in my life.
BEING A STAY AT HOME DAD
Being at home can feel like you’re in a bubble sometimes. As things around me are constantly changing, I’m standing still.
The process of looking after the family’s pretty relentless and consistent… and even a little mundane.
Get up, get the kids to school, come home, clean stuff, do some work online, pick the kids up from school and so on.
But I’m not complaining. In fact, I’m grateful that I was able to give up work.
It’s allowed me the opportunity to enable other people in my life to fulfil their potential.
My wife’s career is going from strength to strength and my kids are doing well in a great school.
If I hadn’t given up work one of those and possibly both wouldn’t have happened.
BEING A BLOGGER
I’ve seen bloggers come and go and a whole load of new people take their place.
Maybe boredom sets in or the realisation that it’s a whole lot of work to keep a blog going. Perhaps the lure of money was never realised.
It doesn’t really matter. I think the most important thing is to keep going. If something’s not working, don’t give up. See it as a challenge.
Change what you’re blogging about or, if you really have to, start a new blog.
Even if your current audience don’t come with you, there’s always a new one to discover.
One of the most important things I came to realise is that for most people a blog is only their front of house.
They don’t make money directly from their blog but with other things they offer via their blog.
As it stands, with EU intervention I may never make much money from this blog. But that’s okay.
BUSINESS BLOGGING VERSUS PERSONAL BLOGGING
I think many bloggers who think they’re entirely blogging for business are actually a hybrid sensation.
They’re one man bands that are personal bloggers with a little bit of selling going on in the background.
That definition fits me nicely. As I make money from affiliate sales and writing articles, technically I’m a sole trader.
But, the difference on this blog is that I’m moving more towards a greater emphasis on the personal.
Why? Because making connections with people and sharing personal experiences resonates with people.
That doesn’t mean I won’t talk about all the blogging stuff I have done in the past; far from it.
I’ve read often that this isn’t the way to go but to hell with it! You have to follow your own path.
THERE’S MORE THAN ONE WAY TO DO SOMETHING
A few months back a lady asked me if I was on holiday when I was out with my kids during the week.
Whilst they were on a break from school, I was doing what my day job is – to look after them.
When I explained that I was a stay at home dad, it surprised her and she felt embarrassed. Not because I was at home but because she’d assumed I was on holiday.
It goes to show that it’s still a relatively unknown phenomena. But really? The point is there’s more than one way to do something.
That goes for people looking after their kids or how they go about blogging or anything else in life.
There’s only one way to find out what works for you and that’s by trying it out yourself.
And the most important thing is if you’re not enjoying what you’re doing, change something. Don’t follow the crowd.
