Attention Bloggers! Find Your Purpose, Perspective, and Path
Hey Friends,
If you are like me you can easily get distracted by the latest shiny objects and the trendiest pursuits.
Sometimes we need to get back to the basics (myself included). As bloggers, vloggers, uloggers, and/or content creators we need to find our way in this world so that we can serve others. I truly believe that when we put others first, people will reward our quality content and our authentic interactions.
This is not an overnight process. This is a long, hard trek. It is a challenging journey, but for many of us, it may be the ride of our life.
I am not going to provide you with a lot of advice today, but instead, invite you to ask the questions that I have been asking myself lately.
Blessed,
@SumatraNate
Find Your Purpose
Your purpose is your "why." Your why motivates you to wake up every morning to create quality content (even when you don't feel like it).
- What motivates you to create content for a blog, vlog, or ulog?
- What are you passionate about?
- Do you create content to make money?
- Do you create content to create a better future for yourself and your family?
- Do you create content to change your present reality?
- Do you create content to build community?
- Do you create content to serve yourself or serve others?
- What do you dream about?
- If you could change one thing about your life today, what would you change?
- Where do you see yourself in 3 years? 5 years? 10 years?
Find Your Perspective
Your perspective is your unique ability to present your knowledge and life experiences to the world. No one can communicate life exactly the way you do. Your voice and your perspective are completely unique.
- What topics do you like to learn about?
- What topics do you enjoy talking about?
- What topics are you passionate about teaching to others?
- What life experience shape the way you think, act, and interact with other people?
- What challenges and struggles have you overcome?
- What are some of your natural talents and abilities?
- What are the weaknesses that help you connect with other people?
- How does your family life shape who you are today?
- When people come to you for advice, what types of things do they want to talk about?
Find Your Path
Your path is the steps you have been taking and the steps you will take to serve others as you work toward achieving your goals.
- Are you prepared to live out your dream or are you too afraid of failure?
- Do you need training (formal or informal) to achieve your goals?
- Are you willing to invest the necessary time, money, and energy to accomplish your goals?
- What type of support system do you need to take the next steps?
- Do you have a mentor who can guide you and encourage you?
- Are there any relationships that need healing?
- Have you tested your idea with your target audience?
- Can you operate as a solo entrepreneur or do you need to build a team to work with?
- Are you a big dreamer or the executor of ideas?
- Are you a big picture thinker or do you focus on the details?
- Are you as self-motivated as you think you are?
- When is it time to call it quits?
- When is it time to lean into the challenges and push a little harder?
Final Thoughts
I bet there are a million more questions we could ask, and I will probably think of a lot more as soon as I hit the POST button. As a part of your community, I desire that you find success in all that you do because when we grow together as a community we are all stronger.
I hope my questions help you think of many more that you need to ask yourself. Finding the answer is important (the end result), but part of the journey is taking the appropriate time to reflect about where we are and where we want to go.
Find your purpose, perspective, and path. Keep pushing forward and keep Steeming!
@SumatraNate
Image Source: the @SumatraNate emoji is created in Bitmoji
It gets to be an addiction, its not about the money. I could make more $$ doing other things and the pay per hour is terrible. For me its an outlet for my creativity.
I understand what you mean about the addictive nature. When I first joined, I just needed a way to express myself. I was dealing with some things and was really down.
Now that I am in a better place, I try to dream. Staying realistic, but I would be happy if I had a full-time Steem job.
You have created a real nice list for people to refer to and do a self check up. Seeing that I came here for only one purpose, I have managed to stay on course and I can say I really enjoy being a part of this steemit community.
I look forward to getting back to the rest of your course on markdown , it is excellent thus far. Thanks again.
It has been a pleasure interacting with you in various parts of the Steem community. The community is not what brought me to the Steem platform, but it is what has kept me here.
I am glad that you are enjoying the course. My pleasure and thank you for your early support!
Great post giving people a lot to think about
That is part of the fun of being part of this community.
@sumatranate for sure it is :)
You are right about "getting back to basics."
Having been a niche blogger for 15 years before I came to Steemit, I'd have to now admit that my first 500 top-level posts here (no, NOT kidding!) were mostly a celebration of not feeling contained by having to stick within a niche, and having the freedom to just "conversationally" blog about pretty much anything that came into my head.
It's what I used to do, almost 15 years ago, "pre-Facebook." It has been pretty cool to do that here... but I could use some more focus, because I DO tend to be very prone to chase after "shiny objects."
I think that our Steem Blogs can have both freedom and structure. I understand the importance of niching down, but I also appreciate to just share life. That is why I have to know my why. I would for my Steem blog to provide for my family, but I also just appreciate the opportunity to process what is happening in my life and letting that speak to others.
We all can keep growing. I appreciate you reminding us of that as a writer who has professionally created content.
Thank you! This post made me really think and some of those questions I've never asked myself and have me really thinking about the content that I create.
I visited your blog and really appreciate the post about kayaking. You did a great job. Look forward to hearing more from you.
Glad the questions made you think. Reflection is not valued as much as it use to be. Sometimes it is good to stop and think for a while.
Always good to go back to basics!!! I did a chart your course challenge on here a few months. it wasn't a fun challenge. hehehehe it was one that really made you think! but - i loved doing it because it helped me to figure out WHEN i was veering off course!
Checking our compass often is really helpful in a place like this because as you say - its very easy to get distracted, tug on that rudder - and before you know it... we're off course!
A few inches off in the beginning could mean miles away from our intended destination in the end!
nice post @sumatranate :)
This is a powerful line:
I am glad that you challenged yourself to determine your path and follow it. Great idea!
here was the original post :) if you'd like to just do it for yourself (and not necessary to post! just for yourself!)
CHART YOUR COURSE CHALLENGE
Deep questions... :) I get tired (or lazy) with them sometimes... :))
It is so easy to get tired and lazy. I am that way too at times, but then a small voice says, "Come back" and "You need to get on track. And then I write a Steem post like this :)
Thanks for the comment and stopping by!
Your mentioned point are correct but follow those points are sometime difficult. Deciding what we attract audience is very difficult because many thing not go in the way that you supposed. By the way great blog
Thanks for the kind words. It is hard to grow an audience but it can be done. Keep working hard.
That's correct. There is no substitute for hard work.
My passion is food blogging but I also enjoy blogging about other life issues, thank you for this useful post, I do get writer's block at times!
It is great that you know what your passion is. We all can get writer's block at times. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.
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