“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” -Lao-tzu (Chinese Philosopher)
I was reading a post this week from Len Penzo who was celebrating 2 million page views on his blog. Two Million! But rather than stand in awe (which I did by the way), I couldn’t help but notice that his site had only 13,000 page views after 9 full months. That was incredibly encouraging to me because that is precisely about where I am nine months into writing at my blog, Cash Flow Mantra.
We all have to start somewhere. McDonald’s had to sell that first cheeseburger. Nike had to sell that first pair of shoes. Thomas Edison had to test that first filament to discover a better method. And Len Penzo had to publish that first post, get that first visitor, and respond to his first comment. Every success story starts with one.
The question is: Have you started that first blog? Have you written that first post? Have you sent out that first guest post?
What have you done to start your success story?
The problem is that all too often it is easy to give up — much easier than forging ahead despite long odds. Had Len given up after only 9 months and 13,000 views, he would have never hit 1 million in 31 months. Nor would he have hit 2 million just 7 months later!
Believe me that I know how discouraging it can be to write post after post only to see a handful of visitors. I know what it is like to look at your stats and see them stagnate or even regress. It is discouraging, no doubt about it. But I refuse to give up! Because each and every post I write is one step closer to that million view mark.
So, I will commit to writing and keeping up with my posting schedule. Gradually I will begin to see the results of my efforts, and I won’t look at the results day-to-day, but in terms of months and years. And only then will I be able to turn around and realize how far I have come.
Here is another post that can be used for encouragement should you feel like giving up. Have a great weekend and an awesome week!
This is a timely post…I am working on staying consistent as my site is only 24 days old. Clearly this is a marathon and not a sprint and there is no quick way to get to 2 million page views. I will say that my biggest strategy now is to stay ahead of my every other day post schedule. Doing well right now as I’m about 3 full posts ahead of tomorrow’s morning release. This way I hope to avoid that pressure to write something and get it out!
BE @ BusyExecutiveMoneyBlog recently posted..My valuable credit card lesson
It can be a tough and a long haul. It is good to stay ahead of the game if you can. Sometimes I am getting up at 4 am trying to figure out what to write and publish in the next couple hours. Avoid that if you can.
I did quit my blog twice. Each time I restarted, I was basically back at zero. I’m been trying to get about a month’s worth of posts written so that if something happens, I do have some time to get back in the groove.
Edward Antrobus recently posted..Personal Finance Tag
Getting into and staying in the groove can be tough. It does take a lot to stick with it. Once you stop, it is hard to restart. Good luck following through this time.
I have this discourage period now but I’m not going to give up:)
Alexander @ PipBurner recently posted..How to Trade with the Fibonacci Tools
It happens to everyone from time to time. How you deal with it is what makes the difference.
That is awesome for Mr. Penzo. Even the 13,000 in 9 months is nothing to sneeze at, I would be improving a lot if i averaged almost 1500 views a month.
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If I am correct, you are just getting started, so it will take some time. Hang in there. Eventually it will happen.
This is a very encouraging post — My website has been slowly gaining traffic and my SEO habits have gotten much better. I am up to just about 800 unique visitors a week and I’m looking to double that in March.
I see so many people who do affiliate networking services for other blogs, and I have been offered help from someone to moneterize my site after I get PR2 or above. I see a bright future, but it just takes time.
You are making me wonder though if I should consider launch multiple sites to hedge my bets!
Yes, it does take time. Getting 800 visitors a week is good. I don’t have that yet at my blog.