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Why the hell am I doing this? What’s going on? Do I plan to make money?
I’ve gotten a lot of questions like these in one form or another since I started writing this blog. People have asked “So you’re not working now. You’re “doing” the blog”. There is this automatic assumption that we have to be making income all the time. That there needs to be a constant source of income or we will fail. For some this is true. Their current lifestyle and habits must be sustained by a constant stream of steady direct deposits or paychecks or their lifestyle will come crumbling down. I’ve been able to take a break from making income and embark on a mini retirement.
As for making some money… Here’s a not so shameless shot at it.
I use bluehost. Yes that’s an affiliate link. If you click on that and sign up to use their web hosting for your site I’ll make money. If you support my site and are starting your own, give that link a click. So there. That’s my first and only affiliate link thus far. Thanks for the support.
As of now I have no plans to monetize this further in the near future.
I want to focus on the journey ahead. I am simply enjoying the process, learning a great deal, connecting with like minded individuals, and enhancing my real world relationships.
I first started this blog as a way to chronicle my journey from the corporate world to global biking vagabond. Throughout this blogging process I have found many other benefits.
Enhancing my real world relationships
By blogging about my thoughts, hopes, dreams, and desires, my friends and family have a better idea of what’s going on inside my head. When I see friends and family in real life, those that read my blog in the internet space already have a foundation of what’s going on. For a long time, I felt I couldn’t be completely honest with everyone about what I was thinking and feeling. I felt that I would be judged and questioned and I was afraid of disappointing certain people in my life. Starting this blog has given me an incredible sense of liberation. This blog is public. I feel I have nothing to hide to anymore. I can be honest with my ideas, beliefs, and life direction. This makes my relationships and interactions more honest and more real. Some people have felt alienated by what I have written. However, having my thoughts and beliefs public, has brought me closer to many of my family and friends.
Connecting with like minded individuals
Blogging has allowed me to connect with people who are on a similar path or have similar views as myself. It has been incredible connecting with other people who are breaking out of the template life mold and following their own path. There are people at all stages in finding their own way in life and trying to life the life they want to live outside of the perceived set boundaries. Many people who provided inspiration or information for me I have been able to connect with through Lifestyle Ignition. I can’t tell you how excited I get when someone who I have been reading for a while decides to comment on my blog. It is incredible the support from complete strangers when you have similar goals and mindsets. I have connected with a lot of great people which wouldn’t have been possible without this website. Recently I was featured on David Crandall’s list of 27 people I can’t wait to meet in person. I am excited that I will be the first he meets on that list down in Texas. I was recently interviewed by Srinivas Rao for BlogcastFM an online podcast for bloggers. I even got a great book recommendation from Alan Perlman in a random Twitter encounter. He ended up interviewing me about my upcoming bike trip in Africa on his blog the 9 to 5 alternative. These are just a few of the many people I have had the luxury of encountering in the internet space. It has been great connecting with people like this. We have bounced ideas off each other. We have talked about life, goals, thoughts, and automatically have an understanding. Seeing people successful in a niche or realm that you are in is not only validating, but inspiring. When you see all these different people taking risks and doing what they love while still rocking out life, it gives juice to the creative brain and smashes doubts that may naturally creep in. There are so many people doing so many exciting things. I am not only happy and excited by those I have been able to encounter online, but am looking forward to connecting with others in the future.
I have learned more than I could ever imagine or thought possible with online technologies, social media, and websites. I am by no means an expert at all, but I learn something new each day. I am excited at the endeavor of devouring it all. My mind is blown everyday by what’s out there on the internet. The opportunities that exist today were unthinkable even 5 years ago! I’m excited that I can take advantage of these tools and evolve with them as time goes on. As for the future, I have no idea what lies ahead or what connections will be made. Do I plan to make money with this blog? Who knows? For now, I plan to focus on fun and keeping life more than ordinary. Rock out world!
Twitter Updates
Thanks for the shout out Mark. It was awesome to connect with you and hopefully we’ll get a chance to hang out in person soon. I think it’s awesome to have so many like minded individuals that we can connect with. My favorite thing about doing what I do is that I get to connect with so many people who all bring value to a community at large. I think that’s why it has worked as well it has.
Great connecting with you too Srini. Maybe we’ll meet at a far off surfing destination or somewhere in Cali. The community of people with similar values and the ease of connecting with them is unprecedented in human history. It has been amazing harnessing this power to further conversation and thought evolution with people who have similar concepts and beliefs. It definitely seems to have worked out well regarding your reach and connecting with the community through both your blog, BlogcastFM, & Flightster.
My thoughts are similar to yours as in I’d rather concentrate on the writing and the connecting with other people than monetizing my blog. If opportunities arrive in the future to earn some money, then great, but earning money shouldn’t be the main focus.
This is a great site Mark and your honesty is more than refreshing. And if I wasn’t already using Bluehost, I would definitely have clicked on your link!
Yeah Earl!!! Bluehost!!! Woo hoo!!! Thanks for the link appreciation! I agree that money shouldn’t be the main focus. Concentrating on writing and creating value is key. There is no telling what the future holds. There are an unlimited number of possibilities and opportunities that can come through connecting with other people through blogging.
I’ve been reading your site for quite some time, and I think it’s crazy cool how now I find you commenting on my own bog. I’m sure we’ll meet on the road some day. It’s crazy how I’m going to start my journey and you have been traveling for over 10 years! 10 years! 2 weeks average vacation in the United States multiplied by 40 years is only 80 weeks. That’s a year and a half of vacation in a lifetime! You’re already almost 7 lifetimes of vacation deep! Keep rocking out Earl. See you on the road!
There are so many amazing opportunities that come from blogging and money would really be the icing on the cake. Like you meeting people is one perk but also gaining confidence, being creative, planning and learning new stuff. I think everyone should have a blog:)I got a free business class jaunt to Shanghai because of my blog and have met some bestselling writers too as well as many wonderful and diverse bloggers including your good self:)
Annabel, confidence, creativity, planning, and learning new stuff are all incredible benefits from blogging! I think your free business class trip to Shanghai trumps my great book recommendation. You never know what opportunities or crazy encounters the blogging world and internet space will bring you. I saw recently that you met Darren Rowse of Problogger on your 1,846 mile jaunt. Taking connections made online and into the real world is important too. I think I need to make a list of the people I’d like to meet in person. Thanks for dropping by Annabel!
i get that question all the time. The answer is simple, yet not quite comprehensible to some. i blog because I like to. Or, maybe better, because I have to. Just the same as I eat, go to the movies or theater, read books, dance… I like and feel the need to write, to share thoughts, to communicate. And I don’t need to make money from everything I do. Well, if I get to it one day, I’ll be happy to get myself some money from doing what I’d do anyway, but even then, money is not the reason.
Sad thing about our civilization is that so few understand that concept.
Dandellion that simple answer is enough. “I blog because I like to”. You do what you want. Great philosophy. Sharing thoughts, writing, and communicating is what we humans do to socialize. Blogging can be a great way to do the same, but on a different level, and with a different scope.
If I make money from blogging, great. If not, that’s ok. Money becomes the focus because people feel that could be the only possible reason for doing something. That’s simply not the case. Thanks for dropping by Dandellion!