Often times you see the advice to “just be you” with your blog. But how easy is it to really just be you?

Even though I’m a fairly confident and persuasive person, translating myself and my life into blog world format doesn’t come naturally. I can’t talk like I speak because I’m rather shy in person yet overly extroverted online. I also use my blogs as a way to talk about things I don’t usually talk about in person. I’m a much better writer than talker so it’s much more natural for me. All that being said, I wanted to to take today to talk about how I go about finding my voice and being the best me I can be when it comes to my blogs.

1. Find your passion

Find something you’re passionate about. I don’t care if it’s online, in your life outside of the Internet, or completely in your dreams – find passion in something. And then when you figure it out, shout it from the rooftops and share it with everyone. I blog about a lot of things between here and my numerous other blogs. But I’m passionate about food, self-employment, and living life to the fullest. So almost every project I have, or every other blog I create, somehow relates to one or more of those things. This ends up being what people know me for. I don’t claim to be an expert on anything that I love, but they are things that I’m passionate about that I want to share with the world so I do. It was by far the easiest thing for me to do because talking about it is natural and never forced.

2. Apply the golden rule

So the golden rule states “One should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself.” And I use this as a way to find my voice on the Internet. I try to blog in a way that reflects what I love about other bloggers. Those that are willing to help others. Those that build a sense of community around them. Those that are helpful, honest, and open. I love blogs like that so I try to put those types of things into the voice behind my blogs. It makes it easy for me to spend time working on my blog, writing posts, etc because it’s a direct reflection of my ethics and standards.

3. Find your comfort zone and then ignore it

When I first started blogging, I started within the walls of my comfort zone. It may have been a bit bigger than most people’s, but for me, it was limiting and restricting. It made me feel like I was lying to myself when it came to my blog. There was so much more to me outside of my comfort zone that I knew was there, just waiting for me to break down the barriers. So I did. I told all of my deepest secrets during secret week,branched out into a new blog, and completely redid my product line in the shop. I was scared of people judging me for my secrets and worried that starting over with a shop and blog would be hard, but it was the right move for me and my business. What’s within your comfort zone may be the popular decision, but it’s not always the right move for you, your blog, or even your business. Figure out where your barriers lie and ensure that what you’re doing isn’t limited by the walls you created. If it is, knock them down and do something out of the ordinary. You never know what you will find beyond those walls – it just might be the thing that eventually defines you.

4. Love what you’re doing and if you don’t, change it

I mentioned in the above point that I started a new blog and redid my products in the shop and there’s truly only one reason why I did that: I was no longer loving what I was doing. Pieces of me were getting lost along the way and I needed to change. I was at that fork in that road that forces you to give up or change for far too long. I thought about quitting for so long. I wanted to and I was ready to. But deep down, I knew I could change it. So I did. And because of that, my voice changed. However, it was a direct reflection of the change that had occurred within me which was exactly what I needed. If you don’t love what you’re doing or how you’re doing it, change it. Even if it’s hard, make it happen. It’s not the finishing point that matters – it’s the journey that brought you there. So make the journey a good one. One that reflects who you are and the changes that occur within you and your life.

5. Don’t ever be discouraged

I’ve had “failed” product lines. I’ve had posts with no comments. I’ve been rejected and ignored. And while it felt rather life shattering when it happened, I bounced back every single time. It became an opportunity to grow and/or change instead of a mistake that I regretted. Because of this, I’m able to keep my head high when things get tough. A slow down in sales or advertising. Lack of views or comments. It happens to everyone and sometimes it’s truly just temporary. Use those moments for growth and change instead of wallowing and frustration. Use that time to come up with a new idea, change your blog/shop/posts up, or just refocus on what you really want out of everything. We’ve been trained as a society to think of these things as negative experiences, but they don’t have to be. They are what you make of them and can easily define the voice you’re looking for when it comes to the online world.

The How-To/5 Tips is a weekly series that will be moving to Thursdays next week! It is dedicated to answering some of the most popular questions I’ve been asked through consulting and on my blog. Want tips on something similar in nature? Or maybe you want more personalized advice? Send me an email at afterninetofive@gmail.com.