Why Your Mom Was Right About Blogging

It’s a good thing your mom taught you everything you need to know to become a well-respected, successful blogger, isn’t it?

What’s that?

Your mom never taught you anything about blogs? Because blogs didn’t exist when you were growing up?

I beg to differ.

I’m going to bet that she really did teach you everything you need to know. She just may have forgotten to say “when blogging.”

Let’s take a look.

Choose your friends wisely (when blogging)

Did your mom ever tell you she didn’t like your friends? Maybe it sounded something like this:

Be careful about who you spend time with. Your friends should be a positive influence on you. Don’t pick friends who will lead you down the wrong path.

Yes, blogging is a relatively new phenomenon. And there are a lot of people online who want to teach you how to blog.

But you have to choose your teachers wisely.

There’s the first tribe: the cool kids. They’re the touchy-feely, “profit is evil” types, who don’t believe you have a right to make a living from blogging.

Then there’s the second tribe: the yellow highlighter crew. The ones who only talk about “monetizing your audience,” as if they were piggy banks you can squeeze coins out of.

Then there’s us. We’re the third tribe.

We believe there are many, many strategies you can use to make a living from blogging and content marketing, and none of them should make you feel like you need to scrub with soap and hot water after doing them.

Don’t stay out too late, and get a good night’s sleep (when blogging)

Your mom wanted you to take care of that body and brain of yours.

And as a blogger, that body and brain are two elements that have to be working well so you can show up week in and week out on the pages of your website.

So listen to mom, and strive for balance.

• Work hard at your content marketing: Put in the hours and energy needed to succeed.
• Schedule play time into your week: Get away from the screen, and get some fresh air.
• Get plenty of sleep: It’s essential to keep your ideas and energy flowing.
• Don’t neglect your loved ones: Interact face-to-face with the people in your life.

Make it a priority to keep your physical, mental, and emotional health in tip-top shape.

(When blogging), remember that some people are carrying a heavy burden

You know that time you got angry with the friend who snubbed you for no reason at all?

Later on, you found out his dog died earlier that day. He was having one of the worst days of his life, and you didn’t know.

That’s when your mom told you to have patience with people, because sometimes they’re carrying a heavy burden and you may not know about it.

As content marketers, we need to remember this, too.

The next time someone loses his cool on Twitter, or blows off steam on Facebook, let’s cut him some slack.

Social media makes it too easy to turn our bad days into public spectacles.

If someone seems off in his email message, or his tweet seems angry, or his Facebook rant comes out of nowhere, remember what mom said, and give him a break.

There might be a very good reason he’s feeling off that day.

Don’t give up (when blogging)

This might be the most important message mom gave you.

Don’t. Give. Up.

If you fall, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and keep going.

Because in the end, persistence is what will take you across the finish line.

Content marketing is a long game. You won’t see results right away. You may not see them for months. And sometimes, it takes years to really get the momentum you crave.

Don’t give up. Keep working at it.

The more content you create, the more feedback you’ll gather. The better you understand what your audience wants from your site, the more you can provide it.

Keep hitting publish on a regular basis.

Just like mom recommended. Remember?