Best time to pin on Pinterest. Google Analytics. Headline analyzer. Perfectly-sized Facebook images. Have you ever felt like you’ve bitten off more than you can chew and don’t know which way to turn? That was me. My head was spinning with information overload since starting my blog! I mean, my intentions were good. Encourage others through my own experience. A few motivational quotes here. A devotional there. Should be easy right?
Well, I hadn’t counted on the fact that this blogging thing is work. Hard work. There are many facets to it. There’s the content side of things, then the graphics and visuals. Not to mention the promotion via social media. It’s like learning a whole new language. Well maybe not, but my brain sure does feel like it!
And if all of that wasn’t crazy enough, I took a leap of faith hoping to change my blogging platform to WordPress. org, which would mean migrating all of my content, subscribers and analytics. From what I can tell, WordPress is the gold standard for many serious bloggers and big brands, and for good reason. I figured if I want to be taken seriously, I would need to have my own domain name, a professional site and more control over my content. I need to move up to the big leagues!
It reminded me of the theme song from the hit TV series The Jeffersons. You know the one, ‘We’re Movin on Up’…
“Well we’re movin on up,
To the east side.
To a deluxe apartment in the sky.
Movin on up,
To the east side.
We finally got a piece of the pie.”
– Lyrics courtesy of metrolyrics.com
Yet even with that catchy tune swirling in my head and my eyes on the prize, I just couldn’t shake the thought that this was a very daunting task. I’ve heard the horror stories from other bloggers who had lost dozens and dozens of posts, those whose sites crashed, whose images were all scrambled or lost in cyberspace and all sorts of other undesirable endings. Could I really pull this off as a newbie? There was only one way to find out!
So I jumped in head first and set my first big blogging goal: transfer my little meager blog to WordPress.org in the least painful and most efficient manner possible. Oh and by the way, get a cute new look in the process.
I learned a few things along the way and as with many things, there’s a cross over effect. While these might seem like lessons about blogging, the bigger picture wasn’t lost on me. These lessons are just as meaningful for those times when we face a daunting task or big changes in life. Here goes:
- Support, support, support
Support. We all need it. Shortly after I started my blog, I realized that there was quite a learning curve ahead. I was excited by all the new things I was learning but I also knew that there were some gaps in my understanding. Ok, maybe some big gaps. And I needed to close those gaps if any of this blogging stuff would make sense.
My first source of support came via Arabah Joy’s Christian Bloggers’ Bootcamp, which has been heaven sent! I even wrote about CBB in one of my early posts. Arabah Joy, in her own words is a ‘missionary incognito’ who has been blogging for several years. In the process she has learned so many lessons along the way and she’s eager to share them. By following Arabah’s material, I have been growing by leaps and bounds. And the support I receive from my CBB blogging buddies is priceless! It is such a diverse group of talented bloggers and we are constantly sharing and learning from each other. This has truly been the best investment I’ve made for my blog.
Lucky for me, I also signed up for the free Blog Staycation last weekend. Now if you’ve never heard of a staycation, think of it in terms of a retreat in your own home. Now add the blog part to it and what you get is focused time to work on improving your blog. The Blog Staycation is hosted by three seasoned bloggers, Jennifer at JENerally Informed, Trish at The Trish List & Julie at Girl On the Move.
Being a part of the awesome Blog Staycation group encouraged me to set my goals (new blog home, painless migration, cute new look), share them with other bloggers and be real about my journey. From Day 1 it was clear that I was not alone in this stage of ‘what have I gotten myself into’. Many of my other blogging buddies were also considering migrating their blogs and using the dedicated time during the Blog Staycation to do so. I realised that my fear was real but the good thing was that there were others who would walk beside me. As the Blog Staycation progressed, we were able to encourage one another, get advice when we got stuck and basically be each other’s cheerleaders.
Tweet ThisWhether I’m going through a change on my blog or facing a big change in life, I need to surround myself with others who can help me along the way. I wasn’t meant to be a lone ranger and neither are you. I do my best when I have the loving support of others.
- The Right Resources
Having all of the support in the world is great, but we’ve also gotta put in the work. What makes that work easier is having the right sets of tools, resources and information available. This helps us to approach the task at hand in the most efficient and effective way. I don’t know about you but I really don’t like feeling like I’m spinning my wheels and getting nowhere.
Thankfully, Google is a trusted friend and there is no lack of resources online to advise me about everything blog-related. About everything, period! Sources such as Michael Hyatt’s How to Launch a Self-Hosted WordPress Blog in 20 minutes or Less were very helpful in guiding me step by step through the blog migration process.
The point here is that if you’re about to tackle a big task or make a big move, do your homework. Research who’s done it before, what they learned (mistakes and all) and learn from them. In many cases, the information we need is right at our finger tips and it’s a lot easier than reinventing the wheel. Unless, of course, that’s exactly what you’re trying to do.
- Determination (Lots of It)
Let’s be honest. Sometimes we have all the best laid plans, support and resources and yet, things don’t go quite as planned. How we handle challenges will help determine our level of success. That’s why it’s so important to push through the difficult patches.
Because my blog was still relatively new, I didn’t have a lot of content to migrate. Still, it took a considerable amount of time to go through and update each post, image, and link. Those little things take time and while those little tweaks are important to my blog, they aren’t things that you would immediately notice.
Truth is, there are times we will make changes that others won’t see. Even though those changes affect our very core, the effect is not always obvious right away. However, over time, the benefits become more evident. If we are tempted to give up at the first hurdle, or worse, avoid making any changes at all, we risk missing out on the rewards that hard work and determination bring about.
With support, resources and a bucket load of determination, I was able to keep my head above water and successfully migrate my blog. And I’m happy to be writing this from my new blog home here at www.sunsparkleshine.com.
Yippeee!!!! It’s official, I’m in the big leagues now!
“now we’re up in the big leagues
gonna get my turn at bat
as long as we live, it’s you and me baby
ain’t nothin’ wrong with that.
Well we’re movin on up…
– Lyrics courtesy of metrolyrics.com
Yes, my faithful readers, it’s you and me baby. All these changes mean that you get the same great content with a whole lot more sparkle!
And while you’re at it, you can check out my social media channels as well:
They got a little sparkle facelift too (I just couldn’t keep it to myself). 🙂
What about you?
In the comments I’d love to hear what you think of my new look.
Plus, what big changes have you made recently? What did you learn along the way that you can take into the next challenge?
And don’t forget – continue spreading the shine and share a little sparkle wherever you go!
I like the look but I didn’t really see the old look. I admire your courage and dedication in stepping out and doing something new. I just started blogging myself but I am on a wix platform right now. Blogging is hard especially dedicating the time to it. I am still trying to learn how to navigate the waters of blogging. Take care
Hi and welcome, Tona! So glad you could stop by and share some love. As with many things in life it wasn’t as difficult as it first appeared. Sometimes we just gotta scale that mountain! And I agree blogging takes work but I love the learning curve. 🙂 So glad we’re on this journey together.