So, you’ve made the decision to quit your job and start your blog. Congrats! It’s a big step and you deserve to feel good about your decision. You have something to offer the world that no one else can-your unique story. And with an internet laden with more junk than useful information, a new and refreshing perspective is always in need.

Now with that said, keep in mind that no one ever said that following your dreams would be easy. In fact, it’s down-right hard. But don’t let that fact discourage you, because it’s well worth it in the end. So in hopes you will be super-successful and not make the same mistakes I made when I decided to quit my job and start a blog, here are the 5 major things I learned after I quit my job to start a blog.  

1. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS “QUICK & EASY” ONLINE MONEY

When I first decided to quit my job and start a blog, I thought I would supplement my income by working various online jobs. I figured I could spend a few hours making some easy money online, and then jump right back into my blog once I was done.

I first started out by completing on-line surveys. I quickly signed up on a few survey sites, and then patted myself on the back, as I believed I was on my way to financial freedom, one survey at a time. Well, not exactly. The surveys were easy enough to complete, but most of the surveys had a low-income earning potential. I would have to complete hundreds of surveys to make just a little income.  It was easy money, but quick money, not so much.

I then looked into transcription work. I had read how one blogger had applied for a transcriptionist job, and by the end of that same week had made her first few dollars. I immediately went to the website she recommended and applied.  I couldn’t wait to start making my first few dollars by the end of the week. Unfortunately, the only thing I received by week’s end was a rejection letter. I was super disappointed. I’m sure transcription work is a relatively quick way to make money, but it’s definitely not easy to get in.

I also looked in to freelance writing. There are plenty of on-line courses you can take, but a lot of them cost money, and this was an investment I just simply couldn’t afford. I was trying to make money, not spend it, and besides, I felt like the time I would be spending writing somebody else’ content, I could spend on writing my own.

While many of these options are great side-hustles for some, there is still a certain skill-level, time-commitment, and sometimes financial investment involved. Yes, you can learn most of it in a relatively short-time, but that all depends on your ability to pick up new things quickly. It may seem seem like there is easy money simply waiting to be claimed on the internet, but the hard reality of it is it just isn’t true.

2. BLOGGIN’ AIN’T EASY

The internet, especially as it relates to blogging, is littered with tons of buzz-words and headlines like “make money fast online” or “start your blog today!” From everything you read, it would seem like blogging is the easiest and most effortless way to make money online.

But if that was the case, why aren’t more people doing it? Because it’s hard work! Yes, eventually you can make a great income from blogging, but that’s only after you’ve put in some serious time and work. 

There is online tendency to make things seem much easier than what they really are. I totally get it. If someone’s message was “Start your blog today! It’s really hard, and you’ll probably struggle the first few months, but it’s totally worth it if you make it!” I doubt anyone would buy their product, much less click on their article to read it. Why? Because when you say something is hard, people get scared away.

It is true that starting a blog can be a relatively quick and easy process, and there is a great income earning potential if you are able to monetize it effectively. But there are a lot of long, unseen hours that go into refining your blog message, and figuring out the right combination of content and marketing that will appeal to your readers.

Just keep in mind that people give advice from their level of accomplishment, and it’s always easier to tell someone what to do once you’ve already done it. Full-time blogging is not easy, at least not in the very beginning. Yes, there is a sense of ease that eventually comes after you’ve made it, but that’s after, not before.

3. FEAR & PRIDE OFTEN GO TOGETHER

After my earlier attempt to make money online didn’t work out, I had to find another means of making an income while working on my blog. I decided to go back to waitressing. After all, I had waited tables for years throughout high school and college, and thought this would be a natural fit for me.

While I was busy daydreaming about all the extra money I’d bring in from working a few extra shifts a week, I failed to consider a few obvious problems. First of many being that I hadn’t waited tables in over six years, I hated working nights, and I no longer felt comfortable carrying food or drink trays. The truth was, I hadn’t stepped foot in a restaurant, other than to eat, in over a decade, and I had more in common with a guest, than I did with a server.

Also, as hard as this is to admit, I had a fear of bumping into one of my old colleagues. I hadn’t told any of my coworkers that I was quitting my job to start a blog, because I was afraid of what they would think. I thought they would think it was silly, or worse stupid, to leave my steady career to go into the unsteady and unchecked world of writing.

Now truthfully, the chances of me running into someone from my old job were pretty non-existent, but this far-off possibility still filled me with fear. While I would feel proud knowing I was doing what I needed to do to support my dream, I knew I couldn’t also help but feel a little embarrassed because I didn’t think others would understand, much less be supportive.

I had a real problem, and it wasn’t waitressing, it was my fear of what others would think of me.

4. DOUBT IS THE BIGGEST SETBACK

When I turned in my letter of resignation, I was excited and scared at the same time. Yes, I knew it was going to be hard, but for the first time in a long time I was excited about my future. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. And what happened next…my husband’s car broke down.

The very same week I submitted my notice, we received a $2,000 repair estimate from the mechanic. I couldn’t believe it! I mean the car was old, but it had never really given us any real trouble before. Besides, I had already put my notice in, and there was no turning back.

Also, around this same time, my husband and I both got very sick. My husband came down with a bad cold that lasted for weeks. He ended up developing a severe cough that didn’t clear up for months. I of course caught his cold, but instead of getting a cough, I ended up with a serious bacterial infection, and was on an antibiotic for weeks. We ended up spending more time in the doctor’s in the course of one month, than we had in the past year.

Between the car and the illnesses, I was physically drained, mentally exhausted, and financially stretched. I was constantly worried, and feared that the universe was trying to tell me I wasn’t making the right decision, and to stay put. I hadn’t even written my first blog post, and I was already doubting my decision to leave.

Setbacks are inevitable, and If I had any chance of making it, then I was going to need to toughen up a bit. I stopped questioning whether I had made the right decision to leave my job, and decided to focus my attention on what I was working toward, not what I was leaving behind. Besides, most of the time their is no way of knowing whether or not you’ve made the right decision until you see it through to the end.

5. MIND-SET IS EVERYTHING

Before I began my blogging journey, I had read tons of testimonials by other bloggers who had done the same. I read about one couple who moved into their parents’ basement to save on money, and of another who would wake up at 4AM everyday to work on their blog before getting their kids up and heading to work. I was both amazed and inspired by the lengths people were willing to go to make their dreams a reality.

I couldn’t help but be inspired and think to myself, “if they can do it, then I can too…right?” Well, sort of. The only problem was once my motivation faded, and my inspiration died down, I had nothing really left to keep me going; especially on the days when I felt the most discouraged. I needed something stronger than inspiration and more long-lasting than motivation.

It took me over a month of being out of work, and nowhere near any my blogging goals, before I was able to honestly admit to myself that maybe I wasn’t as ready as I thought I was.

Honestly, I didn’t have the right mindset to launch a blog. I wanted to be successful, but I don’t know if in the beginning I truly believed I could be.

I came to see that the reason why other bloggers were able to set a goal and reach it, was because they believed in themselves. I struggled so much when I first started blogging because I didn’t. Yes, I had taken a considerable amount of action to pursue my dreams (I had quit my job for goodness-sake!), but I soon found out that action alone wasn’t enough.

As cheesy as it may sound, you also need to believe in yourself, and that means having a mind-set for success. If you truly believe in what you are doing, then you will be able to commit to your goals in new and unexpected ways, like moving in with your parents, or waking up at 4AM.

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Now with all that said, saying a blog is hard work should in no way discourage you from starting one. It’s just that I wouldn’t have lost so much valuable time in the beginning, had I been a little bit wiser about certain things. But if you’re not afraid of hard work, and can appreciate a good old-fashioned challenge, then I definitely encourage you to start your own blog.

We all have something to offer, and I am a strong believer in that we are all the more better off when we share our insight, advice, and experiences to help one another.

Happy Blogging and Good Luck on Your Journey!