How To Blog With Passion and Purpose

This blogging business, what is it all about?  We have even invented “Micro Blogging” ..the 140 character fast food version of  blogging (also known as  Twitter)..which also beggars the question what is Macro Blogging? .. Now there is a business opportunity for a high tech startup!

I have even heard the phrase “I am ..therefore I Blog ” hence “Blogging is a novel form of being“, it becomes part of who we are. I do remember when my finger hovered over the publish button for my first blog post, it was quite a daunting experience because I realized that soon the 1.5 Billion users who have internet access around the world would be able to see my blog.. not that anyone noticed at the time. So I can identify with this comment by Bryan Appleyard in the London Times who says.

“The blogscape is not for the faint-hearted. Start blogging and you will initially be lulled into a false sense of security by the ease with which you just knock out a few paragraphs and click Publish Post. At once, there it is, out there for all to see. Remember, I do mean “all”. There’s a shocking disconnect between one fact — you sitting at your computer — and the next — what you just wrote being instantly visible to the entire world. Try to think of it as like stepping out of the toilet to find yourself standing on the centre spot at Wembley on cup-final day”.

It is thought that we are approaching 2oo Million blogs worldwide and the following facts and figures on blogging reveal some numbers, that are frankly almost numbing.

Over 12 million American adults currently maintain a blog.

More than 147 million Americans use the Internet.

Over 57 million Americans read blogs.

1.7 million American adults list making money as one of the reasons they blog.

89% of companies surveyed say they think blogs will be more important in the next five years.

9% of internet users say they have created blogs .

6% of the entire US adult population has created a blog .

Technorati is currently tracking over 70 million blogs .

over 120 thousand blogs are created every day .

There are over 1.4 million new blog posts every day .

22 of the 100 most popular websites in the world are blogs .

37% of blog readers began reading blogs in 2005 or 2006 .

51% of blog readers shop online .

Blog readers average 23 hours online each week .

Note: These facts and figures are sourced courtesy of the Blog World Expo blog site (how strange), October  2009

So why do we blog?  Chris Brogan one of the top bloggers in the world  wrote a blog post titled “Discipline and the Bloggers Opportunity” that mentions some of his motivations and the reasons why he blogs. He says “Every time you post, you build an opportunity. It might be for

• Making business
• Sharing thought leadership
• The chance to build some new relationships
• An attempt to gain better organic ranking from Google

He goes on to say “To obtain any kind of value in these opportunities requires discipline”

So you need discipline, but discipline without passion and purpose is empty and meaningless.. If you have the passion and purpose the discipline emerges almost without effort. You can move into flow

So how do you find your passion and purpose?

A recent post by Leo Babuta on his Top 100 Blog   Zen Habits hints at some of the steps you can take to discover the passion and purpose that will help keep you committed and disciplined, that you can apply to your blogging.

Step 1. What are you good at? Unless you’re just starting out in life, you have some skills or talent, shown some kind of aptitude. Even if you are just starting out, you might have shown some talent when you were young, even as young as elementary school. Have you always been a good writer, speaker, drawer, organizer, builder, teacher, friend? Have you been good at ideas, connecting people, gardening, selling? Give this some thought. Take at least 30 minutes, going over this question — often we forget about things we’ve done well. Think back, as far as you can, to jobs, projects, hobbies. This could be your passion. Or you may have several things. Start a list of potential candidates.

2. What excites you? It may be something at work — a little part of your job that gets you excited. It could be something you do outside of work — a hobby, a side job, something you do as a volunteer or a parent or a spouse or a friend. It could be something you haven’t done in awhile. Again, think about this for 30 minutes, or 15 at the least. If you don’t, you’re probably shortchanging yourself. Add any answers to your list.

3. What do you read about? What have you spent hours reading about online? What magazines do you look forward to reading? What blogs do you follow? What section of the bookstore do you usually peruse? There may be many topics here — add them to the list.

4. What have you secretly dreamed of? You might have some ridiculous dream job you’ve always wanted to do — to be a novelist, an artist, a designer, an architect, a doctor, an entrepreneur, a programmer. But some fear, some self-doubt, has held you back, has led you to dismiss this idea. Maybe there are several. Add them to the list — no matter how unrealistic.

5. Learn, ask, take notes. OK, you have a list. Pick one thing from the list that excites you most. This is your first candidate. Now read up on it, talk to people who’ve been successful in the field (through their blogs, if they have them, or email). Make a list of notes of things you need to learn, need to improve on, skills you want to master, people to talk to. Study up on it, but don’t make yourself wait too long before diving into the next step.

6. Experiment, try. Here’s where the learning really takes place. If you haven’t been already, start to do the thing you’ve chosen. Maybe you already are, in which case you might be able to skip to the next step or choose a second candidate to try out. But if you haven’t been, start now — just do it. It can be in the privacy of your own home, but as quickly as possible, make it public however you can. This motivates you to improve, it gets you feedback, and your reputation will improve as you do. Pay attention to how you feel doing it — is it something you look forward to, that gets you excited, that you love to share?

7. Narrow things down. I recommend that you pick 3-5 things from your list, if it’s longer than that, and do steps 5 & 6 with them. This could take month, or perhaps you’ve already learned about and tried them all out. So now here’s what you need to ask yourself: which gets you the most excited? Which of these can produce something that people will pay for or get excited about? Which can you see yourself doing for years (even if it’s not a traditional career path)? Pick one, or two at the most, and focus on that. You’re going to do the next three steps with it: banish your fears, find the time, and make it into a career if possible. If it doesn’t work out, you can try the next thing on your list — there’s no shame in giving something a shot and failing, because it’ll teach you valuable lessons that will help you to be successful in the next attempt.

8. Banish your fears. This is the biggest obstacle for most people – self-doubt and fear of failure. You’re going to face it and banish it. First, acknowledge it rather than ignoring or denying it. Second, write it down, to externalize it. Third, feel it, and be OK with having it. Fourth, ask yourself, “What’s the worst that can happen?” Usually it’s not catastrophic. Fifth, prepare yourself for doing it anyway, and then do it. Take small steps, as tiny as possible, and forget about what might happen — focus on what actually is happening, right now. And then celebrate your success, no matter how small.

9. Find the time. Don’t have the time to pursue this passion? Make the time, dammit! If this is a priority, you’ll make the time — rearrange your life until you have the time. This might mean waking earlier, or doing it after work or during lunch, or on weekends. It will probably mean canceling some commitments, simplifying your work routing or doing a lot of work in advance (like you’re going on a vacation). Do what it takes.

10. How to make a living doing it. This doesn’t happen overnight. You need to do something, get good at it, be passionate about it. This could take months or years, but if you’re having fun, that’s what’s most important. When you get to the point where someone would pay you for it, then you’re golden — there are many ways to make a living at that point, including doing freelance or consulting work, making information products such as ebooks, writing a blog and selling advertising. In fact, I recommend you do a blog if you’re not already — it’ll help solidify your thinking, build a reputation, find people who are interested in what you do, demonstrate your knowledge and passion.

Finding your passion and purpose requires a lot of reflection and soul-searching, at first, then a lot of courage and learning and experimentation, and finally a lot of commitment.

But it’s all worth it — every second, every ounce of courage and effort. Because in the end, you’ll have something that will transform your life in so many ways, will give you that reason to jump out of bed, will make you happy no matter how much you make.

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” - Confucius and “The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play.” - Arnold Toynbee

So how do you find the motivation to blog?