I’ve been writing a weekly blog for a few years now. When I first started writing, I was terrified to share my posts. It would take hours of self talk to hit the publish button. I soon got comfortable with the feedback that comes with publicly sharing your writing. That led to me getting advice from others to focus on the SEO (search engine optimization) of my blogs so that more people would see them. I wrote for some big online sites as well and had quite a bit of success with my blogs featured on Yahoo, Huff Post and others.
As much as I enjoyed seeing my writing on these sites, I started to realize that I was writing for hits, likes or SEO numbers. I was attached to the outcome of my writing and not really enjoying the actual writing part. I understand why many writers do this in that they make their living off of the ads tied to their blogs or writing sources. Some people sell products from those sites, so having their writing seen by as many people as possible makes perfect sense.
My blog isn’t attached to any ads and I don’t sell any products on my website. I do offer coaching services, but not directly through my site. I write because I want to and I find that others can relate to some of what I write about. I stopped thinking about the SEO aspect of my writing and I started to write what I wanted. I have no idea how many hits my website gets, though I could easily find out if I wanted to. I don’t check how many people liked or shared my blog because it doesn’t matter to me.
What if we did things for the sheer joy they bring us without worrying about the outcome? #writing #creativity #happiness Click To TweetWhat does matter is that I love to write and it taps into a creative piece of my being that was otherwise untouched. I write for myself, but also for the people who need or want to hear what I have to say. When I get the periodic email from someone who says, “Your blog just spoke to me. Thank you.” that’s why I write. I write to share feelings that I think others might have as well. Sometimes we all like to know that we aren’t alone in this world.
Since I stopped tracking my blog stats, I’ve had so much more fun writing! Detaching from any outcome has been freeing and brought the joy back into why I write. What things are you doing in life that you’ve attached to the outcome? How is that affecting how you feel about that activity? How would it feel to do it without that attachment? For me, it’s made all the difference in the world.
Love,
Lisa Kaplin Psy. D. PCC