Are you struggling to grow your blog into a profitable business? Did you ever think the reason you’re not successful is because of a mindset block?
In this post, I talked about how money blocks held me back from sharing my first income report on the blog. To sum it up, a money/mindset block is anything that holds you back from being successful or making the money you want (and deserve!)
Mindset blocks are something every successful person has struggled with. And the reason they are successful is that they overcame them.
To help YOU combat your own blocks holding you back, I’m SUPER excited about this GUEST POST from digital nomad, Krista Aoki of Reroute Lifestyle. I’ve had the pleasure of watching Krista grow her business over the past year and have also gotten to know her on a more personal level as we’re in a mastermind group together.
And just like you and me, she’s struggled with some not-so-nice-beliefs about herself and monetizing her blog. Keep reading to learn the 5 mindset blocks Krista overcame that allowed her to finally start making money through the power of her blog!
Let’s turn it over to Krista!
I got L-O-S-T in article after article about “How to Make Money Blogging.” When a friend asked me if I made money from my personal WordPress.com blog (I didn’t), she simultaneously opened Pandora’s box.
It blew my mind that others made money from something I did for fun – publishing what I wrote on the Internet – so I had to teach myself what they did to achieve such a feat.
But I had to battle tons of “mindset blocks” along the way – ridiculous, negative things I told myself. I had these mental mindset blocks that tried handicapping me from being successful. The thing is – now I hear these same mindset blocks from other people, and I think that they couldn’t be MORE incorrect!
Are you guilty of any of these mindset blocks when it comes to being successful?
GUEST POST: 5 Mindset Blocks This Successful Blogger Overcame to Make Money Blogging Click To TweetMindset Block #1: “Everyone else is successful – so I can’t be.”
I see you. Reading income report after income report, telling yourself there is no way I can make these kinds of numbers..so I won’t even waste my time trying.
I felt the same way at first, so I told myself restricting things like “my blog is just a hobby” or “I’m just trying to make enough money to pay for web hosting.”
Telling yourself that you can’t be successful because everyone you read about is already successful is the biggest lie you can tell yourself.
Something like this became clearer the day after I started my blog. I didn’t think I would make $50 per month blogging, let alone $100, $500, $1,000… until I started the blog and actually did it.
Don’t be that person who reads a success story and picks it apart. Be the person behind the success story. Your first step is starting.
You are capable of whatever you set your mind to.
Don’t be that person who reads a success story and picks it apart. Be the person behind the success story. Click To Tweet
Mindset Block #2: “I don’t even know where to start.”
A few months ago, I opened the Adobe InDesign program, felt so overwhelmed by all of the tools there were to learn, and closed the window immediately.
If I need something designed in Adobe InDesign, I’ll outsource it. I decided.
Although I still haven’t learned how to use the InDesign program, there are tons of YouTube tutorials and blog posts on the topic.
The same, overwhelmed feeling happened when I opened the WordPress dashboard for the first time. What’s the difference between Posts and Pages? Settings and Tools? How do I change my blog’s title?
Instead of doing what I did and closing out of the program, open a guide… and just start learning the program step-by-step. Don’t overwhelm yourself trying to master everything at once. Don’t quit, either – unless you can outsource the task ;).
If you really want to accomplish something, you’ll teach yourself how to do it.
You control your destiny.
Mindset Block #3: “I don’t want to spend money to make money.”
The way we look at money is very personal, and money mindset blocks run deep. I mean, when it comes to topics-appropriate-for-conversation, I categorize money with politics and religion (just don’t bring it up, especially at the dinner table).
But one big mindset block I had to overcome was the refusal to spend money. I was scared to invest in myself.
I’m not saying you HAVE to spend money in order to make it. For example, instead of using a program like Adobe Photoshop, you can use a website like Canva.
But there are some investments that help push you forward.
- A domain;
- An email address;
- Paid hosting;
- Automation tools like SmarterQueue, Tailwind, and ConvertKit;
- Paid courses that teach you something specific, like Pinterest strategy, SEO 4-1-1, email marketing;
- Books or ebooks;
- A business coach.
Making money blogging is just like business – you need to make calculated investments. Look at a product and think about its value, to you.
Maybe you’re overwhelmed with Adobe InDesign and you need a resource that walks you through the program step-by-step.
Don’t be afraid to invest in yourself if it will pay off in the end. Instead of paying hundreds of dollars for an InDesign designer, why not pay a couple hundred for you to learn instead? Instead of spending tons of time finding the best blogging resources on the internet, why not invest in a course or ebook that goes through it all?
When you invest in yourself, you can’t lose.
Mindset Block #4: “If I don’t earn X amount, then I will be a failure.”
We’ve all been there: setting that imaginary, minimum goal of what we want to earn. And deeming anything less than that will be a failure.
There are 2 ways to approach this:
- Celebrating every win, small or large;
- Outlining the exact steps you need to do to achieve something.
Instead of “if I don’t earn X amount, I will fail,” how about “I will do A, B, and C to earn X.”
Basically, instead of setting yourself up for failure, set yourself up for success. Stop telling yourself you CAN’T do it. Instead, figure out how you can achieve it.
Start with something small – like making your first affiliate sale. What would you need to do to get there?
- Sign up for affiliate programs.
- Think about who you’re targeting – who would buy from your affiliates?
- Create content for that target market, and link to your affiliates there.
- Publish the content and circulate it to that target audience – relevant boards on Pinterest, Facebook groups, specific Twitter hashtags, etc.
- Celebrate your FIRST affiliate sale when it happens!
You define success for yourself.
Mindset Block #5: “No one wants to hear what I have to say.”
No one wants to hear about the mundane details of my life, or why I move from profession to profession, or why I think you should travel in your 20s… I thought to myself, as I begrudgingly hit publish on blog articles that received instant engagement afterwards.
In an age where older generations complain about millennials being disconnected… we’re actually longing for that connection. People engage with and follow someone because they connect with them.
You might think your day-to-day is boring, because you live it every day. But there’s actually someone who’s out there waiting for what you have to say.
The other day I told Kate from The Gold Sister that I was trying to think about what to post on Instagram. She actually suggested that I post more about hostel life – my day-to-day life I thought was a little blasé or boring.
What’s boring to you, will be intriguing to someone else.
There’s someone out there who NEEDS to hear your story.
Change your mindset. Influence your life.
Your life could be SO different just after changing these small ways you see life.
You’re not going to see success until you put yourself out there.
- Set achievable goals.
- Be proud of your story.
- Invest in yourself.
When you do these 3 things, you open yourself up to lessons to be learnt, achievements to be celebrated, and relationships to be made.
You can’t make money blogging without starting, or learning something new. So stop telling yourself you’ll fail if you try. Instead, think about one small, achievable goal that you have for yourself – whether it’s making your first affiliate post or nailing your first paid brand partnership. What do you need to do in order to achieve that?
Do you want to turn your passion into your profession?
After one year, income from my blog pays my rent and travel expenses, giving me the freedom to design my day-to-day schedule and build a service-based business.
Overcoming my mindset blocks was step one. Taking action was step two.
Career in the Making goes through my 7-step strategy to build profitable lifestyle blogs, monetize them, and guarantee their organic growth. If you’re trying to make your first $1, $100, or even your first $1,000 blogging, this ebook will be perfect for you.
You’ll learn:
- Captivating an audience with standout content
- Implementing a profitable affiliate marketing strategy
- Intentionally growing blog traffic using SEO, Pinterest and collaboration with other bloggers
- How to grow your blog while working full time
Interested in learning more? Click here to pre-order your copy of Career in the Making and receive a copy in your inbox by April 30.
Krista Aoki is the blogger behind Reroute Lifestyle, a blog for passionate professionals to learn how to market their brand with content and diversify their income streams so they can work from anywhere in the world as a digital nomad. Follow her journey on Instagram or connect with her on Facebook!
