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3 Reasons I’m Proud to Be an Amateur Blogger

Posted By Guest Blogger 11th of September 2011 Miscellaneous Blog Tips 0 Comments

This guest post is by Dan Meyers of Your Life, Their Life.

You  push the Submit button to introduce your next great thought to the world.  Finally, this might be the one that pulls in some real traffic.  Up until this point, the majority of your visits have come from you and your parents.

Amateur golfer

Amateur golfer (image is author's own)

Your bubble bursts when you check your web traffic and realize this wasn’t the one.  If you could only get your Facebook friends to like your blog page, then you’d have some legit numbers!  However, you’ve asked time and time again and most of them don’t come through.  Your subscriber count remains the same.

Life as an amateur blogger isn’t fun, but it reminds me of my experience as an amateur golfer.  I say aloud that my sub-par abilities (pun intended) aren’t worthy of my anger. But that doesn’t prevent me from getting ticked off with every ball that bounces belligerently into the brush.  Check out the picture: I’m that bad!

I’ve only blogged on my current site for a few months.  Of course I shouldn’t expect great traffic or a large subscriber base.  However, that doesn’t numb the pain of a harsh reality!

Are you embarrassed to admit that you’re an amateur at something?  Admitting so can make you feel worthless.  Our culture teaches us it’s better to lie than admit you’re not good at something.

My name is Dan, and I’m an amateur blogger.

I started blogging in 2007, but it was one of those one month blogs.  You know the kind: you get all fired up, pay for a website or sign up for a blog account, write three blog posts, and quickly become discouraged when you don’t get any visits. That’s what mine was, but I appreciate my parents, brother, and friend Ryan for clicking on it!

I’m back at it again and now I’m not afraid to admit I’m an amateur blogger.  It’s easy to start a blog, but it’s not easy to make a blog successful.

I’m now convincing myself that life as an amateur blogger should be relished.  Here are the reasons why.

1.  Death to my best ideas!

Life as an amateur gives me room to grow, and the humility to accept that my first ideas probably won’t be my best .  It will allow me to kill some of my ideas without feeling like I’m killing part of myself.

This is relevant for more than blogging.   Charlie Munger said, “If Berkshire Hathaway had made a modest progress, a good deal of it is because Warren [Buffett] and I are very good at destroying our own best-loved ideas.  Any year that you don’t destroy one of your best-loved ideas is probably a wasted year.”

I’m an amateur. Of course I’m going to have some bad ideas!  Ben Graham made an investing observation that is analogous to real life when he said, “Good ideas cause more investment mischief than bad ideas.”  Are your good blogging ideas causing you more pain than your bad ideas?

2.  Standards? What standards?

Acknowledgement of my life as an amateur allows me to not hold myself to the high standards of a professional.  However, I am forced to know I must strive relentlessly to get to that point.

Professionals got to where they are because of many years of hard work.  As I mentioned in my previous problogger.net guest post, Malcolm Gladwell puts that amount of practice at 10,000 hours in his book Outliers.  If you attempt to instantly match the professionals, you will become frustrated quickly, which might lead to an overwhelming feeling of inadequacy.

However, you must realize that it is possible to get to that point just as they did.  If you are unwilling to put a lot of time into it, you’ll probably join the death of my first blog.   As they say, problogger.net wasn’t built in a day.

3.  I love something enough to do it even though I’m not a pro!

This is my favorite part of life as an amateur.  I’m passionate about helping others get out of debt and take control of their life.  I do it even though I’m not a professional; I don’t currently make money doing it and it’s a lot of hard work.

In his book, The Call, Os Guinness explains it as the following, “To our shame we moderns have taken the word amateur, opposed it to professionalism and excellence, and turned it into a matter of tepid motives and shoddy results.

“But amateur, as G.K. Chesterson never tired of saying, means “love.”  Man must love a thing very much if he not only practices it without any hope of fame or money, but even practices it without any hope of doing it well.”

This doesn’t give you a free pass to do sub-par work and shouldn’t cap your ambition to strive towards excellence.  However, it should prevent you from not doing something just because you’re not a professional.  Your message is important because you can help others, and because it’s worth doing.   G.K. Chesterson also said, “If a thing is worth doing, it’s worth doing badly!”

I can guarantee you one thing:  if you doing something badly long enough, but you try to improve and are passionate about it, soon it won’t be bad anymore!

These are three reasons that I’m proud of my amateur title, but it doesn’t mean I want to continue with it any longer than I must!  I’m so passionate about my subject that I know I can become a professional; it just takes time.  If I continue to work hard and not get discouraged, then I can make it and help many people.

Are you willing to live life as an amateur in hopes of one day becoming a professional?  You have a voice, don’t be afraid to use it!

Dan Meyers started Your Life, Their Life to help you take control of your life.  Read how he paid off $50,000 of debt in two years and how his strategies can help you.

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Comments
  1. I loved, loved, LOVED this post. I relate to it, appreciate the candor and was grinning as I read it. Thanks for writing it!

    • Thanks so much Valerie! I think the hardest part was admitting that I am an amateur to the world… although inside I know I am!

  2. This is great! I volunteer with a non-profit called the AgChat Foundation that encourages farmers to use social media to connect to people who are interested in where their food comes from since that’s such a popular topic today in the mainstream. I’ll share this on our Facebook page as it really sets the tone I think farmers should embrace!

  3. I am an amateur at everything I do-that’s okay. I live, learn, experience and discover more readily.

    Great blog post.

    Hey, first time to your site and I am not your parents or you. :-)

    Velva

    • That’s good stuff Velva… thanks for checking out the site! I’m sure you’re the type who loves what you do because you’ve been through everything you don’t! I’ll definitely revisit your site to check out the great recipes!

  4. Great post Dan. I’m a professional writer….amateur blogger. And as best as I can tell, the only meaningful distinction is that I actually earn a living doing the former. It’s really just semantics, and you nailed it – doing what you love is a blessing! Keep at it!

  5. True!
    Being an amateur is not so bad at all. At least for me, I got something to dig out more of what is best for my blog.

  6. Passion really is the key. In order to stick with anything for the long haul you have to have passion…but you also need to know when to walk away for a bit if necessary to refocus. Getting noticed in a sea of blogs these days is a monumental task but I think everyone can find their place eventually.

    • Grant, so true. From what I’ve read, it takes 6-9 months of consistent and quality writing before a normal blog gets “noticed”. You definitely better love it!

  7. “…but even practices it without any hope of doing it well.” That’s awesome

    I was happy when I started out, I wrote whatever I wish (or my heart says) then i learned to please Google, then i learned about a bad thing called SEO, then i learned about another bad thing called Google Analytics and then I come across about this Worse thing i even know Alexa Ranking and Page Rank

    And it all changed the Game of Blogging for me. Fun is OUT and concern, caution and tricks are IN

    • Shanker – what a true statement. I often read about writing for SEO, but I’ve never bought into it. If my mind is on pleasing SEO/Google with keywords, it’s not going to be on writing solid content. Get back to writing about what you love!

  8. I can relate to this with my blog. I keep posting and traffic is slowly trickling in, but there is no pressure yet.

    Blogging isn’t my main goal, but it could be in the future.

  9. I guess would consider myself and amatuer, as well. I’ve “earned” about $4.60 from adsense over about 4 months. My blog is more of a niche blog that hopefully a few people interested in history will visit. I like it because it allows me to get some of my current research interests “out there.”

    • Chris – that’s $4.60 more than me! Even if I never make it big, my blog has given me a great chance to get my thought “out there” and to formulate my ideas.

      • Cool! I started about a month ago and I’m a blog n00b galore =) I barely understand some of the terms, but I’m having fun while doing it so I know I will get it. Would be great to be a problogger someday but my writing style needs much improvement. Articles like this I will treasure thanks so much.

  10. Thank you Dan!!! I really needed this shot in the arm today! I just started a new blog less than a week ago and feel like you said you did at the beginning of your post.

    I’ve been reading pro blogs for a few months trying to get tips and learn anything I can that will help me be successful as a blogger. My desire is to make a difference in other lives and that is my motivation for starting my blog. Eventually, I’d like to earn money from it, but that is not my main focus. I want to make a difference in other lives.

    I’m fully aware that blogging is an art that requires time, practice, and dedication in order to achieve success. And…I guess…it depends on what “being a successful blogger” means to me. For me…it isn’t about how much money I make, but in growing myself and perfecting my skills so I can be more effective in helping others learn how to live a successful life. It is the impact I am able to have on others.

    Blogging allows me the possibility of getting my message across to millions of people! Amazing! It also gives me an excellent way to perfect my writing skills, which is something I enjoy doing. It is a wonderful form of self expression and a way for me to give myself to others.

    So, again thanks for the encouragement you provided in your post. I am also proud to be an amateur blogger who is working to perfect my craft. Blogging is sure to be quite an adventure….and a MAJOR learning experience…I can tell!

    Have a lovely day,
    Darling

    • Darling – thanks so much for the great comment. It really is amazing to think people from all over the world might find something helpful from what you say! Keep up the positive attitude, it will definitely take you a long way!

  11. Hi Dan,
    My blog is less than a year old but I believe that I am at the status of “Novice” now. I am no problogger yet but I will be working my way towards that goal.

    Had to laugh at getting our friends to like our FaceBook fanpage. It’s like pulling teeth sometimes. My favorite part of being an amateur is getting to learn something new and even better to be able to teach other amateurs what we know.

    • Justin – so true… it doesn’t take long to graduate out of ‘amateur’ and into ‘novice’ status. I guess we could view our progress as similar to our school years. However, the good part is it’s a little easier to skip a grade in the real world!

  12. Yup! I love it too.., you learn, express and experience.

  13. What a great article. I realize that in my recent career change from corporate manager to online retailer and blogger I brought all my expectations that I would be “professional” As I read your article I realize I have been pretty hard on myself. Thanks for your liberating ideas.

    • Thanks Lelia! The corporate world is definitely different than this quickly moving blog world. The best part of the difference is that success depends mostly on you. Keep up the hard work, you’ll get there!

  14. This is an excellent and empowering reminder that developing expertise takes time, dedication, patience, and passion. I’m one of those people that started blogging and became nearly instantly discouraged when my own “next great thoughts” were read by, well, nearly no one. As an added bonus, blogging takes commitment and time! Who knew? But I will take my own steps toward expertise as long as I keep writing, reading, learning, and refining. Yes, I’m an amateur too and someday I will be a professional.

    • Great to hear Jeannine. It’s much easier to talk about our successes than admit to our inadequacies or failures. We can all be each other’s support group!

  15. Indeed an amateur is one who love to do wherever he/she does. I love this approach – I’m living it. And people around me started to see me as a professional now.

    Am I turning into one? :-)

    Thanks for this post, Dan!

    • Constantin – that’s so awesome… I notice the same; it doesn’t take long for people to start seeing you as an expert when you consistenly write on a subject.

  16. I am there. I am loving the writing part more then I had ever thought I would. I am dyslexic and have always been challenged with the art of writing even though I new what I wanted to say. Time and great tools have now made writing a possibility for me. :)))

    Susan Cooper

    • Susan – that’s so great. The thing is this, you’ll probably end up being a better writer than all of us because you’re working so hard at it! Very powerful blog you have on your site right now…

  17. Dan, you may be an “amateur” blogger by definition, but you sound like a pro to me. What an inspiring, refreshingly honest post. Thank you!

  18. Great post, it is easy to see how well certain people are doing and assume that it is easy to get there. Many of us newer bloggers would do well to remember that it takes hard work and time to build an online presence. Thanks for the post.

    • Luke – so true. It’s similar to a business owner who struggles many years to find success. When they finally do make their millions, people think they did it overnight!

  19. I am taking your perspective seriously? This is kind of amazing amtuerishness to have.

  20. I don’t need to feel so bad about being an amateur blogger. It has its advantages and the word “amateur” is not a dirty word at all!
    Thank you!

  21. I am an amateur blogger. And I am damn proud of it :)
    And yeah, brilliant ideas do not have to come only from problogger.

  22. What a great post! Honestly, I really enjoy the excitement of being an amateur blogger. A small increase in traffic just makes my week. I’m happy to have a consistent hobby that makes me so happy. I enjoy reading ProBlogger and hope someday my blog can get an upgrade from a hobby to a part-time job, but for now I enjoy the excitement that comes with learning the territory.

    • Elan – great point, one of the best parts of a new blog is it’s easy to double your traffic. I’d like to see Darren double his traffic as fast as we can :)

  23. Proud I am, I sometimes have to motivate myself to get going, but neverthless I gather the strength, courage and vision to carry on.

  24. Hi Dan, I am totally an amateur blogger, but blog like I am not (in my own mind at least). This post hits home with me and I have never read another post like it. I tend to follow many pros and feel a bit left out. :)

  25. I also actively embrace the idea of being an amateur blogger, although I tend to call myself a “hobby blogger”. Unlike many people here I expect, I actually enjoy my day job and have worked hard enough to get myself into a good position.

    But running websites is fun and I want to run my own one!

    It’s also fun to try and make money from it, it’s something that can be measured and it’s all part of the challenge, but it’s also nice knowing that I don’t have to make this work. If the visitors drop away then I can still pay the bills. I don’t have that stress of knowing my family’s comfort depends on making it work.

    I was fortunate in that my first website hit 100k visitors in it’s first week (down to luck I’m sure), so I get to play at running a big site and bring in a few pounds to help the fmaily budget. It’s a good hobby to have I reckon!

    • This really is a great point. I try to do the same as you and view it as a hobby for now. It does seem like many people start a blog as a business, rather than start a blog because they love the subject. I’ve stayed away from any advertising on my blog because I want to focus on making it a quality site. If all you think about is making money on your site, you’ll probably never make money on your site!!

  26. Sometimes it’s hard not to get caught up in the promise of pro blogging. The idea of making a living at it sounds darn nice. That said, there is a lot to be said to maintaining your amateur status. Thanks!

    • Chris – very true, especially when you look at Darren’s analysis of bloggers that make money… everyone wants to be in the top 5% who makes big money! However, not many want to put the time into that they have.

  27. I love blogging as well, it gives me a voice I would not have otherwise. I do not have run a radio station, own a television, or publish a newspaper. People are wanting to hear what you think.

    • Michael – it really is incredible how accessible the world now is for everyone. I like your site and am writing some new blogs for my site called “Lucy Lessons” – things that I’ve learned from my dog!

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