Obstacles to starting a blog don't actually exist

Hello world! Today I'm discussing the common obstacles people face when trying to start up a blog (or any other side project), and why those obstacles don't actually exist. This is a continuation of my last post on the benefits of blogging. Notably, all the benefits of blogging that I listed in the previous post can be achieved in other ways. But if you're missing any of them from your life (I know I was missing, um, ALL of them before I started blogging), ask yourself if you're just being stopped by the imaginary obstacles that I discuss in this follow-up post. Furthermore, I'd like to reminding everyone that while I'm writing about blogging, none of this is specific to scribbling in the cyberdust (hat-tip to Holly). For me, blogging is an example of deliberately making a change in my life. I've applied these same ideas to learning how to chat up strangers in cafes, remembering names, fitness, and other side projects (all of these may be addressed in future posts).

For a long time I thought blogging would be cool but I had all sorts of self-doubts: "Do I have enough time? My writing skills atrophied in college by stuffing my schedule with science courses! Do I have anything novel to say? What if people judge my opinions? My prose? Am I qualified? Do I have the right topic yet? Who would want to read my blog?" I didn't feel comfortable communicating on a really deep and personal level, even to my closest friends. And because I couldn't flesh out my ideas in detail, I didn't even fully understand the benefits of blogging- I only discovered them as I progressed, which fuels the excitement. This is why it took me almost a year to get started. And that was my biggest mistake.

Obstacles preventing you from starting a blog (or delve into any new experience that requires commitment) fall into two categories:

1) Yourself. My own perceptions of what blogging would actually entail held me back for quite a while, in spite of the excitement of taking on a side project that requires new skills, new experiences, and a little bit of self-exploration.

2) Others. For a while I was worried about the response to my blog. I guess I'm naturally self-conscious. I don't want to waste anyone's time with boring stuff, after all.

Let's break it down.

Yourself:

• Mistake: thinking it's not worth it unless you do a really good job. "I shouldn't write a blog because I'm not a good writer. Because I have nothing interesting to write about." OK, this is just silly. How does one get better at writing? By writing. A more nuanced way of looking at it is that in any self-development project, there are no stakes, only possibilities. In the professional world, crappy work won't be tolerated. But if your first blog post is crap and gets 4 page views, so what? No problem, and you likely identified a few concrete weaknesses in your writing style in the process. In fact, even if 9 out of 10 of your posts are pretty blah, isn't that one really awesome post worth it? Especially if the alternative is sitting around on your butt.
• "I don't have enough time." I used to make this excuse all the time. But how much mindless crap on the Internet was I looking at everyday? Furthermore, blogging IS relaxation. It's just a better kind of relaxation than watching TV, playing video games, or wasting time on the Internet, because you don't need to wake up your brain again when you're finished. Finally, never say "I have to do X" or "I can't do Y because I'm obligated to or supposed to do X". Say "I choose Y over X." Take responsibility.



Your blog doesn't have to be 100% unique to be something special

• Thinking that you have to be novel. You don't have to be completely original when blogging. You just need to be honest and write about things that truly interest you. If you do that, you will eventually develop your own original angle. There's no way you can be novel just sitting around and thinking about it- you need to actually start writing.

Others:

• Being overly focused on what you think others do and don't want to read about. #1 you will always be able to find an audience. Don't worry about it. #2 Having an audience should be a secondary goal. Instead of asking what people will think about your blog, you should be asking what do YOU want to write about? What do YOU need to do to become a better writer? But you might ask- then why don't I just keep a diary? Well, just knowing that someone COULD read your blog should be sufficient to motivate you to make your ideas as crystal-clear as you can manage, and motivate you to keep up the habit of writing. #3 So what if your interests are… quirky? Want to blog about Magic the Gathering? No problem. It might even help you connect with others who share the same interests but are too shy or embarrassed to go around advertising it.
• Fear of being judged. See my last post. If you open up to people, they won't judge you. Maybe a few trolls on the Internet will, but just ignore the haters.
• Fear of coming off as a snob. Sure, you think that you're expert enough to post your opinions on the Internet for everyone to read, right? What a snob. But that's completely missing the point. You don't have to be an expert to blog about anything! Writing is a MEANS to learn and gain expertise. Imagine you just read something interesting. How do you retain it? You either need to talk about it, write about it, or engage with it in some other way. Furthermore, having a blog will motivate you to go find interesting things to read about in the first place. If you're blogging with the correct intent, no one will think you're a snob.

I've realized that obsessing over questions like "What will others think of my blog?" and "What if no one reads my blog?" is completely pointless because I do not have direct control over those things. It's better to focus on questions like "What skills can I develop by doing this? What do I need to do to follow through on my goal or habit? Did I successfully complete the act of writing today? What are some things that I want to learn but haven't had a chance to? What would I enjoy writing about?"

The only thing in life over which you have complete control are yourself and the activities you voluntarily choose to do. If your job sucks or life just isn't going well for you, that has almost zero impact on your ability to write a blog entry, because it's entirely on your own time and it's entirely your own choice. For side projects like getting fit, writing a blog, taking an online course on a topic you've never studied before, or learning to chat up strangers, all obstacles are imagined. So if you want to do it, just start. Remember, there are no stakes, only possibilities.

This person spent too much time worrying about pandas and 

not enough time thinking about what he would actually do for pandas.