Audacious Blogging
Photography by msn678
In one of my earlier posts, 101 Essential Blogging Skills, I mentioned the importance of audacity. It sat, quite modestly, at #32.
Looking back, I don’t think I’ve given this word the attention it deserves. There’s no better time to do so, particularly among the congratulations and kudos being given over my column at ProBlogger.
The truth is, though, that I didn’t get that gig — or any other opportunity I’ve received — because I’m some kind of blogging maverick. Nor am I a gifted networker. There are thousands of bloggers who write better than me and work harder than I do. There are hundreds of blogs that have grown faster than this one.
You guys could do the same (or more) in your own niche. I say that without a shred of doubt. Anything I can do, you can do better.
Audacity is a practice, not a quality
There are fewer prerequisites for achieving your goals than you might first think.
You don’t need to be a great writer, or an expert at creating posts that get Dugg. You don’t need to have a network of influencers, or dozens of killer posts, or years of experience, or formal credentials.
In fact, I’m beginning to think that audacity is the most important habit a blogger can develop.
If you’re not afraid to be rejected, you keep putting your hand up. If you’re not afraid to be ignored, you keep putting yourself out there. If you’re not afraid to be criticized, you do exactly what you want. If you’re not afraid to make contact with someone more successful than you, you’ll create your own opportunities.
Whenever you find yourself thinking: “I’m just not good enough,” replace that sentence with “I’m just not being audacious enough.”
The best thing about audacity is that it’s not a quality you either possess or you don’t. It’s not the same as beauty, or a gorgeous singing voice.
Audacity is a practice. Do audacious things, and you become audacious.
A few places to start:
- Write the most value-packed post you’ve ever written.
- Pitch a guest-post at a blog you love: the bigger the better.
- Make friends with another blogger.
- Offer something free. Expect nothing in return.
- Chase down a paid freelancing gig.
- Become a social-media power user.
- Invent a niche.
- Start a meme.
- Create a new kind of blog post.
- Ask questions you’ve previously been too afraid to ask.
The audacity of… failure
Part of being audacious is being ignored, or rejected, or brushed off, or criticized. You will sometimes fail. You’ll certainly make mistakes. I’ve experienced all of those things, and if you’re audacious, you will too.
Thankfully, both Albert Einstein and Michael Jordan (strange bedfellows, no?) have a few words of wisdom on that point:
“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
– Michael Jordan
“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”
– Albert Einstein
