Why blogging? It was a career move I wish I fell into earlier!
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I have such incredible social anxiety sometimes and I don’t know if anyone truly realizes it. I break out in a sweat and start to hyperventilate when I think of approaching a stranger. I’ll do it, I just don’t like it.
When I signed up to be in direct sales I don’t think I realized what I had to do. That I would have to be approaching people in malls. And chatting people up constantly, yuck, I just wanted more out of life!
Once I came across blogging, and I realized I could attract people TO ME?
Instead of chasing people down? It made me a different human being. I became obsessed with making it all work, I only wish I had dove in sooner! And with recent events in the world and Irish twins…I’m so glad I had the head start I do.
Throughout school, I was always more of a quiet kid. I had plenty of friends. But there were many, many times I can remember being with friends and I didn’t say a word.
It’s not necessarily that I’m too nervous or that I don’t have something to say. I think I always just hesitate that second and then the moment is over. So I stay quiet because it’s easier that way.
You can understand how being in direct sales that this personality trait is extremely counterproductive. I don’t exude a ton of confidence if I don’t say much.
Thank goodness I stumbled on blogging when I did. I almost want to thank my social anxiety now. Being a home-based business owner is the greatest blessing in today’s economy!
Writing things out was always my best form of speaking.
It’s the way I handle big emotions, stress, uncertainty, overwhelm, I think about it. Thinking doesn’t usually require speaking (except when you talk to yourself out loud). And I remember as a kid always writing things out when I was reaching my boiling over point.
So when someone had pointed me in the direction of speaking to my ideal audience, I realized my ideal audience read a ton, just like me! If you’re sitting over there like yea…I hear that, then a blog is for you!!!
I love reading and writing and blogging, it’s the perfect creative outlet for all the words I don’t say.
And when I found Siteground to host my blog and I got started, I never looked back. The benefits of Siteground are endless! You absolutely need to start on the right platform when you start blogging. It can be overwhelming at first and you wouldn’t want to transfer all of that data to something new.
When I first started I made so many blunders (that I can only blame myself for!). But their customer service representatives are phenomenal. So many huge mistakes could have been avoided too if I just took Lady Boss Blogger’s course from the get-go. But since I had Siteground anyway, they were able to fix my stubbornness (haha). Never mind all of the help from Heather and Pete Reese and their 5 Day Start a Blogging Business, Blogging Blastoff, WP Fast Launch, 10k Challenge, and more! They pack so much information into everything they do and always overdeliver. No matter where you’re at in your journey you can’t go wrong!
People often don’t believe me when I say I prefer to be quiet. I was a waitress, bartender, and finally Food and Beverage Manager for over 10 years. Certainly, you have to be outgoing to do those types of professions?
And yes, I do have a YouTube channel. I regularly go live on my different platforms, because when you find your passion it doesn’t matter! My passion is helping other women! I want to show you it IS possible, you CAN do it, and it DOESN’T have to be scary!
The truth is I spent all 10 plus years pretty miserable and sometimes I wondered if I was just a miserable person.
I went to school to be a teacher and I finally said what the heck was I thinking? Talking in front of a group of people every day is literally my worst nightmare, but I wanted the flexibility it offered for the children I wanted in my future.
Maybe also I was listening to the voice of my father, telling me how great I would be at it. So I changed to psychology, which I love. It’s part of the fun of being quiet, people don’t realize how much they give away to a good listener.
That was my success in my restaurant career, people LOVE talking about themselves, and I was happy to hear it. Except you need money to go to school. And now? If I had any of those jobs, I would probably be unemployed anyway right now!
And it was so draining. You other introverts out there get it, I don’t know how many of you I’ve met in my real life though. Maybe because we’re all hiding behind closed doors haha.
I love helping people, I love people, but I just want to be around people like once a month, maybe.
When I was in the Food and Beverage industry I was surrounded by people constantly, and I never felt ok. There was never enough time to recharge. Now I get to hide behind my computer and make money.
I got involved in a direct sales company because I was thrilled with the monetary potential. And I was certain that I could make it work without talking to millions of people. Now, in a sense that is what I am doing now!
Blogging is where I can say what I actually want to say, without fumbling over my words. Where I can speak to my ideal friends and my fellow introverts in a manner that makes us feel more comfortable.
I want more for me, and I want more for YOU. You who is reading this who is like me. Who wants MORE and is trying to find his or her voice. I want to help you find your path in life because I spent too much time not being true to myself. There is literally no better time than now to start blogging!
If starting a blog today sounds like something you would like to do I suggest (as do many, for a good reason) Siteground. Their prices are very competitive but so is the user experience and the overall look and feel of your blog.
They also offer tons of help along the way, from general questions to people dedicated to building your blog business with you as well as driving traffic to your blog which is HUGE to your blog’s success!
Talking about HUGE success though you HAVE TO check out Elaine Rau she is by far one of the most successful bloggers, and she did it fast. I mean like really, really fast!
I mean like if you’re looking for a guide to making money right away with your blog she is the woman that will catapult your business! And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, I don’t tend to italicize, capitalize as well as make my words bold for no good reason. Not only can she catapult your blogging business but she’s also an incredibly successful influencer. Go check her out now!!!
Blogging can be an incredible source of passive income when you get yourself established. Meaning that you can put a ton of work into it in the beginning, and then sit back and enjoy life and get paychecks while you’re sleeping!
One way that many bloggers make money is through affiliate marketing, which sounds scary but is not all THAT scary once you get started, I can help you with all of that!
The best site for an intro to affiliate marketing is ShareASale. They have tons of companies to work with, across a bunch of different niches, and it is easy to get started. The next things you need to do are build an audience, get regular traffic to your site, and make those sales! But more on that later.
Have questions or need help? Talk to me today.
Want to kickstart your business? Get my Money-Making Mom Toolkit!
Not sure about a blog? Take my Home Business Quiz!
I used to do the same thing in school. I had things to say. It wasn’t that and it wasn’t that I was super shy. I just hesitated and then like you say, the moment was gone. I think I had some form of anxiety back then, but just didn’t recognize it for what it was. When I went to the working world I enjoyed call center’s initially because I loved to talk and had a lot to say but could never get it out face to face so talking over the phone seemed perfect. Until burnout set in after 15 or 20 years. Now, I am in university full-time (online courses) and thinking the same thing that I want to turn blogging into a career along with web development. I admire you for going for it and I’ll have to check out Elaine Rau. I signed up previously with ShareASale but can’t quite figure out how to use them, there wasn’t really any instructions and google wasn’t much help. I had no issues with Rakuten or CJ affiliates but have heard ShareASale mentioned a lot. Going to have to try again to figure them out. Thanks for sharing this information, for someone like me starting out it’s really helpful. I have been blogging for 20 years but never interested in making money from it till now.
Kadie ♥ The Great Canadian Housewife | A Story About A Girl
I’m glad that I could help! I love that we have similarities and I wish you luck in your endeavors! Feel free to reach out to me via social media if you’d like any guidance in monetizing you’re blog!
I can relate to this post so much! I’m a mixture of an introvert and an extrovert. I guess it depends who I’m around! But, I definitely get social anxiety in crowded places, so blogging is the ideal career for me to. I absolutely love being able to express myself through writing!
Much love always,
GABBY | http://www.gabbyabigaill.com
Thank you! So glad you could relate. I wish you well!
Great post, Shea! I’ve always been an extrovert and it wasn’t til a few years ago, I’m toned down a little Lol! Now, I do a mixture or youtube and blogging and its been nice. I’m glad you enjoy blogging and are learning so much as you go! I’m the same. Thank you for sharing and I’m looking forward to seeing more of your content xx
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