Like most bloggers, I keep a running list on both my phone and in my bullet journal with blog post ideas that I can go to when I’m in need of fresh content. So you would think that as I embarked on this Daily Blogging Challenge that I would be consulting this handy little list on the daily. I mean, coming up with new blog post ideas everyday is certainly not something I’m use to.
But nope. No thank you. That list has remained tucked far, far away.
In fact, I’ve found myself actively avoiding it. I even have a half written post already started that I could easily finish, but again, I’ve been avoiding it like the plague.
Why?
Well, namely because I’m not excited to write these posts.
Sure, they’re all on topics that I find interesting, and I always have passion at the forefront of anything that I write, but my writing had started to feel so technical, so thought out, so… blog-like?
I didn’t like what my writing was becoming, and so I set up the challenge.
Keep in mind, though, my goal was more about improving my writing, and less about improving my blog. Sure, the two didn’t have to be mutually exclusive. I could work on improving both my writing and my blog, but honestly, the more I wrote articles that felt like they were being dictated by Google and Pinterest, the more I started to dislike the whole blogging process.
Now, some of you might be thinking, well, suck it up. That’s what you have to do if you want people to read your blog.
And yeah, sure, I could, but because I already have a job that pays the bill, setting up a side hustle for myself that felt like work seemed like a bad use of my time.
But enough about me!
How does this little story apply to you?
Well, it sounds cliche, and you might want to stop being friends with me after I say this, BUT, after only one week of embarking on this Daily Blogging Challenge, I can clearly see why people are always preaching, do more of what you love.
Not even just doing more of what you love, but doing more of what you love out of passion and less out of necessity.
For example, I love to write, and I’m lucky enough that I get to write for a living.
But again, my blog post writing had started to feel boring and stale.
At first, when I started to feel resentful of my writing, I started to think maybe I just wasn’t cut out to be a writer. Maybe I didn’t have the true passion for it that I needed in order to step beyond just my freelance writing career.
But here’s the deal: the second that I started to write these more essay-style blog posts about my thoughts, ideas, and musings, I found myself open up as a writer.
I mean, I have absolutely no idea if anyone is even reading these posts and finding them helpful, but again, it was less about growing my blog, and more about improving my writing and my ability to communicate. To do this, I needed to make my blog feel less like work. I needed to take the necessity out of writing.
And I’ve done this by embarking on my Daily Blogging Challenge, where I’m less about allowing Pinterest/Google to dictate what I write about, and more about just following my own intuition as a writer. And, so far, even though there have a handful of times I almost convinced myself to skip a day of writing, I can already see how my writing has gone from this technical, thought-out plan to this more free-flowing creative endeavour.
Once again, less about blog growth, and more about my growth as a writer.
However, there is a little caveat to this:
I don’t think passion and work have to necessarily be separate for everyone. I know plenty of people who truly find passion in their work.
At the same time, though, I know some people who have zero passion for their work.
And I know others, like myself, who maybe have their passion, but who aren’t necessarily utilizing it to the best of their ability.
You can fall into any of these categories, or you can maybe have a little bit of all three.
The main point here is to figure out what’s truly making you happy. Do you find passion in your work? Maybe you need to separate your work from your passion? Or maybe you just need to experiment with your passion in order to figure out the best way to execute it for yourself?
Whatever the case, this is a totally individual thing, but the main point to to be concerned with is figuring out how you can fit your passion into your life in your own unique way.
Now, having said all of this, I totally recognize and understand that life can’t be all rainbows and butterflies. Not everyone can just do exactly what they’re passionate about 24/7. There are bills to be paid and experiences to be had. Yup, trust me, I get it.
BUT
I also think it’s important to sneak in a little passion everyday. And no, not just passion that brings you one hundred percent pleasure all the time. Because yes, there is a difference between being passionate about… eating pizza and writing a blog post.
You passion should be hard. You should struggle with your passion. But there should also be a reward in that struggle. You should feel like a million bucks when you tackle whatever you’re passionate about. You should feel proud and excited to work on it even on days where time might not be on your side.
Because, trust me, when it comes to making time to fit in your passion, you should always make it a priority.
Anyway, I know I might have went off on a little tangent here, but it’s just become more and more obvious to me that I’m suppose to be writing these style of articles.
Whether that just ends up benefitting me because I feel good about it, or it ends up benefitting other people who read the articles, at this point, I have no idea.
But one thing I do know is I’m not going to stop. I’m going to remember the amazing feeling I get from getting wrapped up in a piece of writing, and I’m going to keep doing it.
Because, when you’re passionate, that’s just what you do. Plain and simple.
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