How to Bring Joy Back into Your Blogging Journey

Lost your joy when it comes to blogging? It’s happened to me, too. Find out what three things you need to examine to get your joy back.

A Blogger’s Tale of Woe

“Anita, I just don’t understand. Why does no one visit my blog? I spend hours and hours writing, and no. one. stops. by. I just wanna quit.” Tears threatened to spill into her venti-skinny-soy latte.

“How do you know?” I asked her.

“No one comments. Not one other blogger likes my posts.” She set her mug down with enough force to slosh the contents over the edge. “I’ve visited other blogs, and even though the writing is horrible they have a gazillion Pinterest shares, 48 likes, and 95 comments.”

“Why did you start blogging in the first place?” I asked quietly.

Her pensive face stared out the window as a host of emotions crossed her face. “I wanted to help other mothers know they weren’t alone. I guess. Maybe the thrill of hitting ‘publish’ gave me joy.”

I nodded. Remembering her excitement when she first started blogging.

“Now…” her voice trailed off. “I find no joy in it.”

I stared into my decaf latte, at a loss for words. Nothing wise or encouraging came to mind. I had no idea what to say because some days I struggled with the same questions.

Where Has All the Joy Gone?

As bloggers, we lose sight of the fact that no one forces us to blog. No one looks over our shoulders, examining our stats and other metrics of success. We end up acting as our own worst critics—which can suck the joy out of the journey.

These facts might help put things into perspective:

• If you blog, your blog belongs to one of 152 million blogs ( ) currently on the Internet.
• People spend an average of 37 seconds to read (or scan) blog posts.
• The U.S. will have approximately 31 million bloggers in 2020.

The facts bring to mind a song I learned in the children’s division at church. At six, I thought the lyrics said,

Right in the corner where you are!
Right in the corner where you are!
Someone far from harbor,
You may guide across the bar;
Right in the corner where you are.

Ina Mae Duley Ogdon

It felt like my theme song because my parents often sent me to stand with my nose in the corner. Years later, I realized the lyrics said, “Brighten,” not “Right in.”

Either way, each blogger has a tiny light and a small window of opportunity to guide someone. Unless we know our intent (our why), it feels like we throw our efforts out there only to find them trampled by an uncaring world.

If I would have known then what I do now, I would have asked my friend about categories.

A Hobby, a Business, Or a Calling?

Because once you figure out your purpose for blogging, you need to ask yourself which category it falls into—a hobby, a business, or a calling? They may overlap a little (you started to blog as a hobby but now you see it as a calling or a business opportunity).

If you blog as a hobby, stop looking at your statistics and moaning about your lack of visitors!

Find joy in the creativity that goes into your writing and little space on the internet. Don’t let other bloggers and their success define you or detract from the joy you feel when you unleash your creativity.

If you blog as a business, AdSense won’t save you. Read up on the best practices for making an income blogging (check out the Blog Tyrant for ideas).

Sign up for a course from someone who has gone before you. Make sure you ask around for recommendations so that you don’t waste money on a course that won’t help you. We won’t talk about how I know that one can waste money on courses that don’t help.

If you blog as a calling, read this book by Andrew LePeau. He gives wise counsel to those who see their writing and blogging as a calling. If you see your blog as a calling, remember that you write for an audience of One.

Execute due diligence to make sure you don’t produce ‘Junk for Jesus,’ but turn your blog growth over to the One who calls you to blog. Don’t hustle after comments, likes, or numbers. God will use your words, right in the corner (or to brighten the corner) where you are.

Find joy right in the corner where you are! Try this exercise to get your blogging mojo back. #blogger #amwriting #joy #write28days Click To Tweet

If you want to expand your corner, come back tomorrow for tips on building authentic engagement with social media.