3 min read

4 Steps to Take When You Lose Your Passion (for Your Blog)

Can I open my world to you for a bit? I’ve been in denial for over 6 months. I’ve lost my passion. No, I’m not referring to this blog, but one of the other blogs I run. The truth is, this community inspires me daily. If anything, we will be putting more energy, resources, tips, … 4 Steps to Take Wh

Can I open my world to you for a bit? I’ve been in denial for over 6 months.

I’ve lost my passion.

No, I’m not referring to this blog, but one of the other blogs I run. The truth is, this community inspires me daily. If anything, we will be putting more energy, resources, tips, and advice into our mission here.

However, I want to share my story with you in case you feel the same way I do.

What do you do when you feel your passion begin to wane?

Is there a way to kick yourself back into gear?

I created my first blog in 2009 as a career coaching blog. Everything I read said to niche down and get as narrow as possible. I think there is some truth to this strategy, but you must stay true to yourself at the same time. Let me explain.

I thought the most logical choice for me was to be a Career Coach for Accountants. For the previous 7 years before blogging, I was an Executive Recruiter in the Accounting & Finance niche. While I did have a handle on the career side of accountants, there was a big problem. I didn’t have an accounting background. I wasn’t a CPA.

Here is why this ultimately became a big deal for me. While I have been making good money on my blog for the past 3+ years, there was only one way to take it to the next level. In order to take my CPA Career Coach blog to the next level, I would have to:

  • Start including more accounting related articles to further reach accountants (not something I wanted to write personally)
  • Start networking with CPA firms, Accounting Professors, and other Accountants in my niche to bring a greater awareness to my platform.

Outgrowing Your Niche

I am not passionate about either one of those. So, you know what I did when I came to this realization? Stalled for 6+ months. On top of that, I had another challenge. I was consistently receiving emails from readers who were not accountants asking if I was open to working with them. I was outgrowing my niche.

While I haven’t made the full migration just yet, my goal is to share with you (in a few posts), the exact steps I am taking to “re-brand” my blog in order to more fully align with my real passions.

I want to build a blog that helps people discover their passion, brand it online, and do work they love. This goes well beyond just accounting. Whether someone seeks traditional employment or self-employment, I want to help them discover and do work they love.

Maybe you have been blogging for awhile and have an unsettled feeling that you might need to “re-brand” your blog. While you shouldn’t act hastily, here are some steps I would recommend you take.

Step 1: Take a break from your blog and go on a technology fast.

Sometimes we just get burned out. Maybe you just need a technology fast. A mini-vacation might be in order. Just because you find difficulty writing a new post doesn’t necessarily mean your blog needs an overhaul. Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is get some rest.

Step 2: Journal out your thoughts, frustrations, and hangups.

As long as things are swirling in your head, you will stay in a state of confusion. Even if you say, “I’m not the journaling type”, do this exercise. Open up a blank document and type every random thought you have about your blog and the direction you are going. Don’t stop until you have at least 750 words. Re-visit your entry a few days later and see if you still feel the same way.

Step 3: Get clarity on where your core genius and the world’s deep needs meet.

This is so very important. As Jonathan Mead would say it, “What is your no end path?” What subject, cause, or topic will you never grow weary of writing, talking, and speaking? Get to the heart of what you most love to do. Now, consider how that may align with the deep needs others have. In the middle is where the magic happens.

Step 4: Start before you are ready because clarity comes from movement.

We know when we are stalling on a decision. Fear can be paralyzing. This can become even harder when you have reached success. Even though you may have plateaued you don’t want to ruin what you have built. At the same time, you know in your gut what you must do to move forward. Clarity often begins to flow from movement. When you begin to take steps (and risk) to fully go after your passion, doors of opportunity begin to open up.

I’ve seen this happen at least three different times in my life. Starting before you are ready helps the perfectionist in all of us.

All that to say CPA Career Coach is becoming JonathanMilligan.com. My plan is to share with you the “highs” and “lows” of this rebranding project over the next few posts. Again, my motivation is for you to learn through this process in case rebranding is in order for you.

Question: What do you do when you feel your passion slipping? Please share in the comments below.