“I need to get around to that….”
I said that many times early on in my blogging career .
I made a big mistake. I was a perpetual blogging student.
I learned. But I did not act on my knowledge.
So I struggled terribly with my blog.
I recorded a Facebook Live video delving into this topic:
PS
PS….don’t be a Perpetual Student.
All well and good to be a student of blogging. Read. Take notes. Study. Great. But put your newfound knowledge into action. Because what you know is useless until you use it. Or whatever blogging lessons you have learned will do little, on their own. Lessons need human beings to act on lessons, in order to benefit other human beings and to benefit the blogger sharing the lessons.
College Studies
I recall my years at university. I studied meteorology.
I would attend virtually all lectures. I took notes. I studied the notes. But eventually I had to put the notes into action by:
- taking tests
- leading weather forecast discussions by dissecting a map from a synoptic perspective (kinda like what the weatherman/weather woman does on TV, but more emphasis on the science behind the forecasting)
- writing my dissertation
I had to study. But I could not be a perpetual student if I wanted to actually learn and practically apply these concepts.
Even though I never became a professional meteorologist I learned valuable lessons from studying difficult to grasp concepts and by putting these ideas into action, persistently. I avoided being a perpetual student. I learned, then practically applied what I learned.
Fear
Fear is the only thing that goads you into being a perpetual student.
During my lean blogging days I would learn a few blogging concepts but allowed my:
- fear of failure
- fear of criticism
- fear of wasting my time
to bully me around. I had an idea to act, but cowered to my blogging fears. My blogging limiting beliefs.
I struggled. Horribly. For years. Because perpetual students never become successful bloggers. You can’t blog from the sidelines.
My advice?
Do what I did.
Learn.
Apply.
I act immediately on any newfound knowledge I acquire from successful bloggers. I learn and do, spreading the wealth, sharing knowledge and transitioning quickly from being student to teacher.
Blogging students pay tuition.
Blogging teachers get paid.
What would you rather do?
Pay tuition your entire blogging life?
Or get paid to do what you love to do?
My Challenge to You
Put being a perpetual student behind you. For good.
Learn then apply what you learned, immediately.
Start with this blog post.You may be new to this idea of being a perpetual student. Maybe you see yourself making this same mistake, of studying, but never leaving the blogging sidelines. Putting off action because you feel terrified to teach, to share, to create and to learn.
Here’s what you do to taste sweet blogging success.
Take the concept you learned from reading this blog post and:
- write and publish a post to your blog
- write and publish a guest post to a top blog in your niche
- cover this topic in a Facebook Live video
- email this blog post to your list
- cover this topic in a YouTube video
- cover this topic in a Periscope video
- cover this topic in your next podcast
Follow the advice in one of these bullet points today.
Be a teacher, not a lurker. Teachers get paid. Lurkers fade into oblivion.
Your Turn
Are you being a perpetual student? What can you do to learn some blogging concept then turn around and teach it immediately? How did you overcome being a perpetual blogging student?