I’m writing this post to me and for me. Don’t lose sight of why you started this and where you have come from. Stay consistent and strive to attain your goals.
My blog went live on October 23rd 2018. In ten very short weeks I published 14 blog posts, filmed and produced seven YouTube videos, and in short had a blast doing it.
It took me well over a month to set up my website. Most of the time was spent learning about WordPress, SEO, Google, YouTube, Bluehost, Gravatar, and all the other little things that seemed to pop up to temporarily derail me for what felt like weeks on end.
I thank the helpful blogs and detailed YouTube videos for getting me through the process. The amount of amazing information and online contributors simply boggles the mind and without expertise such as theirs I would probably still be spinning my wheels thinking of what it would be like to have a blog of my own.
A lot of it was learning by doing and learning by making mistakes. In fact, I ended up writing about double the amount of blog posts than I actually published. In the end they just didn’t measure up. This wasn’t a failure by any means, but my way of learning how to choose the right topics and practice writing.
Goals in 2018
After publishing my first post, YouTube Made Me Do It!, I immediately asked myself What next?
Based on very consistent advice, I decided to write down a few goals to guide my way forward.
Here are my three most important goals for 2018.
Stick to a Schedule
On average, my goals for schedule and frequency were six blog posts and two published YouTube videos per month.
I decided to try and write one blog post per week and complete two YouTube videos per month. Additionally, I wanted to write a blog post for each YouTube video I created.
With 14 posts and seven YouTube videos completed over a period of two and half months I was on track to complete this goal. The time frame was nowhere near a year and I will take that into consideration when making goals for 2019.
Read More
To improve my ability to think and write better I made a goal to read more.
I believe it was Neil Patel who said that in order to write more blog posts you should read more than you write. Wise man.
In 2018 I exercised a very consistent morning routine where I read and otherwise consumed relevant content every day.
Early every morning, I got up and brewed a delicious cup of coffee (black, no cream, no sugar). The house was quiet and my mind alert. I thoroughly enjoyed reading and listening to inspirational material then recording my thoughts in a journal.
This goal was a success and it is now a habit. I definitely want to continue my morning routines.
Develop Good Content
This is the most important goal and the foundation for the other two.
In truth, I write in a blog and vlog on YouTube for me, because I enjoy the challenge and the process makes me happy. But, along the way I would sometimes wonder if I should be measuring my success based on viewership? Even before my first blog post I thought about this.
At times I would ask myself, how can I get more subscribers? or what should I be doing differently to get more views?
It always came back to developing good content. If you do it well and do it often eventually you will see progress. Enjoy the process and do your best. Learn from successes and leverage failures.
So, as of the December 31, 2018 I have three subscribers. Three amazing people out there who took a chance to read what I have to say. Some may laugh at this seemingly paltry number, but I’m honestly very thankful.
I’m excited for 2019
My goals for 2019 are essentially the same. I have learned so much since October and will continue with my 2018 goals.
- Develop Good Content
- Stick to a Schedule
- Read
New goal in 2019
- Utilize Social Media
I have a fairly solid grasp using my website and managing my YouTube channel, therefore in 2019 I would like to learn more about and use social media to increase the viewership of my content.
Enter the world of # and @ symbols. Until a few months ago I was still saying pound sign for heaven’s sake. Please tell me @ is still pronounced at and not something silly like hashtag.
I always giggled when I read to myself, pound guinness (#guinness) and pound blacksmithing (#blacksmithing) on Instagram.
My bad, I got it. It’s pronounced hash tag. Sounds like something I’d fry up for breakfast.
In all seriousness though, starting a blog in 2018 has been challenging and meaningful.
Don’t lose sight of why you started this and where you have come from. Stay consistent and strive to attain your goals.
Thanks for reading!
