[su_note radius=”0″]
Blogging with Purpose, Lesson 3
Without vision, blogs perish
This post is part of the 7 Days to Blogging with Purpose e-course, originally delivered via email, one lesson a day. All lessons are now available here on the blog for readers who prefer taking the course at their own pace.
ICYMI—
- Blogging with Purpose E-course Overview
- Blogging with Purpose, Introductions
- Blogging with Purpose, Lesson 1: Your Blog’s Purpose
- Blogging with Purpose, Lesson 2: Blog Content Audit
- Blogging with Purpose, Lesson 3: Blog Vision Casting — you are here!
- Blogging with Purpose, Lesson 4: Blogging Your Passion
- Blogging with Purpose, Lesson 5: Blogging as a Profession
- Blogging with Purpose, Lesson 6: Blogging for Your People
- Blogging with Purpose, Lesson 7: Choosing a Profitable Niche
Link to the next lesson is at the end of the article!
[/su_note]
Do you know that thousands of blogs are dying every day?
Not to be dramatic, but yes, blogs die and go to blog heaven.
Some of them die and leave a mark on the web (and their readers’ hearts) forever, like The Design Sponge, a design blog from the early days of blogging that was widely popular and had lived through 15 beautiful years until its owner decided to close it down this year.
The Design Sponge did blogging so well that they even planned the most gracious exit, announced their closure months ahead, scheduled their final pieces of content. They even published a poignant farewell post, a well-deserved final bow if you will. And if you ask me, that is just a beautiful way to exit the blogging world, kudos to the whole team for a blog well-lived.
The owner of The Design Sponge started it with a vision and carried that blog vision to the end.
On the other hand, most blogs abruptly end and disappear into the abyss of the internet archive without a word, forgotten forever.
Trivia: Did you know that 95% of all blogs end up being abandoned? So if you’re worried about the 500M blogs populating the internet today, just think that 95% of them will not make it. (Haha not sure if that made you even more nervous, but you get what I’m saying.)
The goal is to be in the top 5% of bloggers who actually succeed.
☀️ The Purpose Blog is powered by DreamHost, & 17thAvenue (afflinks). This means I may earn a commission if you purchase their product/s through my link without any extra cost to you. By supporting my affiliate partners, you are allowing me to keep creating content that aims to empower bloggers like you to live a life of purpose. Thanks!
And this is where I like applying (and changing up a little) this good ol’ proverb,
Without vision, blogs perish
Don’t get me wrong. You can literally start a blog today without any specific plan or goals or purpose and still somehow end up successful. In fact, this is how most of us start blogging—without any blog vision whatsoever.
But at some point, you’re going to have to get back to the drawing board and think about strategy if you want to have a blog that lasts.
So here’s what you should do. Start dreaming.
Think about how you see your life in the next 3-5 years. Remember—
When blogging with purpose, you want your blog to play an important role in the life you envision
Write down your vision for yourself, your family, your career, your business, your ministry.
Take note that if you want your blog vision to align with your life’s calling, you have to envision a blog that fits right into that vision, while leaving space to scale or pivot in the future.
Blogging is a lot of work, and if it’s not helping you move toward your vision, then it’ll be too easy to just abandon it when the going gets tough.
When I resigned from my full-time corporate job in 2017, I knew that I wanted to continue blogging.
I realized that in all these years hustling—from corporate to remote work to entrepreneurship—blogging remains to be a constant respite and source of income for me, to think I was just doing it part-time for over a decade!
Most of my side hustles were short-lived but my passion for blogging kept burning. And considering all the past experiences and doors God has opened for me in my life, I just know in my heart of hearts that I have to keep walking down this path.
And I’m not talking about wanting to be a full-time social media influencer or vlogger or podcaster and all the things kids do these days! I’m talking about good ol’ blogging and writing, creating written content, and pouring my heart out into words.
Is this how you see your blog too? A space for your life’s work? A creative expression? A deep, profound calling?
Now here’s the other thing that I see myself doing years down the line. I see myself writing a book. I see myself living the rest of my life weaving words together, whether for myself, for my husband, for my daughters, for others. I see myself doing my part in God’s work through the art of written words.
When you start to see your blog as a tool to do your calling or to simply be, then you know you’re ready to blog for the long haul.
Your turn
Ask yourself these questions:
- Where do you see yourself 3-5 years from now?
- What role do you want your blog to play in the life, job, or business that you dream of?
Again, you will encounter challenges along the way—burnout, writer’s block, and long periods of creative drought. When these moments happen, holding fast to your vision will keep you going.
Leave a Reply